Sea Meets Earth
by AshMish111
Summary: Damon Salvatore is doing his best to recover from a crushing heartbreak at the hands of a girl he always knew he wasn't meant to have. When the chance for real happiness literally hits him head on he's ready to embrace it and welcome true contentment for the first time in his life. This time, he's not letting her go.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters or locations in either The Vampire Diaries or Inuyasha.

 _ **CHAPTER 1**_

Damon Salvatore watched the scene before him with a dull ache in his heart. Elena and his brother, star crossed doppelgängers extraordinaire, chatted and laughed breezily, their easy companionship driving that thorn of uncertainty ever deeper into his tired heart. Everything about them, Stefan and Elena, just seemed to be so _easy_. Their romance, their friendship, their camaraderie, it all just seemed to click into place as if their very souls had been made to fit together in all ways. And perhaps they had, doppelgänger magic not withstanding.

Damon had never had that easiness with her. No matter how hard he tried, how desperately he loved and wanted her, anything between them had always been heavy and complicated. There seemed to always be some hurdle or obstacle or _something_ there to leap or climb over. He'd thought her becoming a vampire would alleviate some of the inescapable tension between them but boy had he been wrong on that score. The sire bond had only served to make _him_ feel worse, and Elena was still no closer to understanding him than she had been before. She had only ever reluctantly loved him, reluctantly tied herself to him, always an arm's length away. She couldn't accept all of him, he had been too monsterish at points of his life for her to feel truly comfortable and at ease with him.

Perhaps it was mostly his unwillingness to apologize for his past that had finally pushed her back into the younger Salvatore's arms. _He_ had accepted himself, mostly, so why couldn't _she_ if she loved him so much? Maybe that was why it was so much easier between her and Stefan. Stefan surely couldn't claim to have been a saint for all of his adult vampire life, but he seemed to do everything he could to punish himself for it, to make himself some vampiric martyr of humanity, ever sorry for just existing as he was. Maybe _that's_ what tied them together so strongly. None of that doppelgänger stuff, they just hated themselves together. Damon wasn't willing to do that.

A surge of immense power entering the area drew his attention outward, halting his dark introspection as he tried to identify what could be causing such a powerful disturbance. If the originals had returned, though it didn't feel like them, then they could be in trouble.

"Hey Brother," he called, drawing his brother's attention away from whatever conversation he and the girl who caused so much strife between them were having. "we've got company."

Kagome pretended not to notice the scene before her as she busied herself with stacking a couple of the boxes packed with her things. It made her feel mild irritation, and sent a phantom throb through her soul that she knew had less to do with the state of her heart than some people in particular were willing to believe. Kikyo made sure to glance her way every so often, to ensure she was watching them. She'd tried to tell Kikyo that she was no longer bothered by the relationship between her and Inuyasha, that any echoes she felt coming from her were the effects of the soul severing she'd endured all those years ago, and NOT due to whatever romantic feelings she believed Kagome to still be harboring towards Inuyasha, but Kikyo hadn't believed her. While things between her and her pre-incarnation weren't quite as volatile as they had been, she and Kikyo still were not friends, and she still believed Kagome to be vying for her mate's affections.

Well, Kagome had done her best to dispel such thoughts and now it was none of her concern. What _was_ her concern, was that Kikyo was distracting Inuyasha from helping her move. She'd been asked by Sesshoumaru to investigate this area. There was a strong magical miasma covering this entire town, and he wanted to ensure that no one living here was attempting to cause any trouble for the jewel. This _was_ her job anyway, and she'd trained mercilessly for it for years. She'd agreed to be the jewel's permanent protector, and had been joined irrevocably with it for the rest of time. If someone wanted the jewel, it was mostly up to her to ensure its safety. Which brought her here, to Mystic Falls. This was, by all accounts, a very boring, sleepy, typical American town. But the ever increasing presence of supernatural beings had pinged Sesshoumaru's radar, and as the most powerful of all living supernatural beings, he had taken it upon himself to protect _her_ , and ensure that a situation like Naraku never happened again. She glanced around at the neighborhood she'd moved into and took it all in with a deep, cleansing breath. It was quiet and quaint, a stark change from the bustling shiro she usually lived in with the rest of the pack she'd been adopted into. She hoped she wouldn't be too lonely out here, and was thankful that Shippo had elected to move with her. Koga's brash voice shattered her peaceful contemplation as he walked out of her new house and loudly complained about Inuyasha's lack of assistance in their current task.

"Oi, dog shit! Quit flirtin' and pick up a box, will ya? I don't want to be doing this all day!"

She could see Inuyasha gearing up for a fight, he and the wolf were no further in their relationship than she and Kikyo were. She opened her mouth to squash the conflict before it started when an approaching, magical presence washed over her, causing her to stiffen and gasp in slight alarm. Everyone in the yard turned to her in concern, Shippo hearing her from inside and poking his head out of the door. She met all there eyes before she responded to their silent entreaty.

"Hey guys, we've got company."

 **A.N.: Hello! And welcome to my first endeavor into chapter fics! This is mostly going to be a fluff fest, though there will be touches of angst here and there. I'm hoping that this will not drag on for too long, but I also don't want to rush any romance and make it awkward. You may have some questions about some things, I assure they will be answered in time! Also, I'll be employing some typical IY fandom tropes into this and I'm not sorry about it. I like the "mating extends a human's life" thing and also the idea of cloaking or concealing spells so they will feature in this story as well. And I just really love Inuyasha crossovers. I think they're super fun. The name of this fic is actually the name of a song that inspired me to write this story in the fist place. It's called Sea Meets Earth by Fever Fever if you want to give it a listen, it's lovely. Thank you for reading and stay tuned! I'm hoping to keep this updated once a week at least, though earlier updates are not out of the question.**


	2. Chapter 2

Kagome turned toward the direction she could feel the presence approaching. She felt no malice in this being's aura, only excitement and curiosity, so she felt whatever tension she'd been holding slip away at the knowledge that they weren't being approached for a fight so soon upon their arrival. She did feel a mild shock when the magical being closing in on them appeared to be nothing more than a smiling blonde woman with a plate of brownies.

"HI!" The blonde girl trilled with happiness, practically bouncing with excitement. "Welcome to the neighborhood! I'm Caroline! It's so nice to meet you!"

Kagome smiled in return. She seemed sweet enough, and must have started baking these brownies for them the minute they pulled into the neighborhood.

"Hello, my name is Kagome."she gestured toward Koga, who had taken to standing at her side "this is Koga."

Koga took a brownie and shoved it in his mouth, mumbling out a "sup blondie?" With a wave as he made his way back up into the yard. Kagome rolled her eyes at his rude manners before introducing the rest of her little gang. "They are Inuyasha and Kikyo, and that is Shippo in the doorway. They're helping me move in today."

"It's so nice to meet you all! I'm so excited to for new faces in town! OH! I'm having a party in a few days! You all have to come! Everyone will be there, you'll get to make so many new friends!"

"Oh thank you but you don't have to do that. I'd hate to intrude on your-"

"Oh but I INSIST! It'll be so much fun! I'll come by later with all of the details!"

They all watched bemused as the blonde girl, Caroline, rushed off back down the street, presumably toward her own home. Kagome clutched the plate of brownies helplessly as she tried to figure out how meeting one neighboor had turned into an invitation to an entire party. Koga's voice broke the stiff silence as he choked loudly on the brownie he'd all but inhaled.

"These brownies suck. I'd suggest taking some decent food to this shindig if _she's_ hosting it," he snickered to himself and Kagome cast him an irritated glare.

"Don't be rude Koga, she was trying to be nice. Besides, maybe meeting a bunch of people all at once will help me figure out why there are so many non-humans congregating in one small town. And with you guys and your freakish demon hearing maybe you can listen for whispers about the jewel."

"Aw, hell Kagome. I hate human parties. They're so loud."

"Oh stop complaining Inuyasha. You can stay here if you want, and I'll just get Koga and Shippo to help me."

"Oh please, like that mangy wolf or that fox brat could do anything right!"

Kagome watched with a flat stare as chaos descended on her lawn in the form of a three way argument between the three demons who were supposed to be using their strength to help her move quickly. She wasn't sure why she thought they could manage this one simple job without trying to kill each other.

Caroline had barely entered her front door before she had her cellphone to her ear, Elena's number punched in and the call going out. As soon as she heard her beast friend voice utter a quick "hello?" She squealed loudly and chattered a million miles a minute, only slowing when Elena stopped her and asked her to repeat everything.

"Ok. So I have a new neighboor. She's young and seems so nice and she's got three TOTALLY hott guys with her helping her move in and I invited them all to my party coming up and you TOTALLY have to help me hook up with at least one of those guys OH MY GOSH Elena something EXCITING that isn't life or death can you believe it?!"

"I see." Elena responded, her words followed by an amused giggle before she caught the serious look in Stefan's eye. "Um, Caroline, did you notice anything strange about these people? I mean I know you said they were nice, but was they're anything else about them? Anything weird?"

"Well there was something weird hovering around. Kind of like those witch talismans Bonnie keeps around. But there was nothing dark about them. I didn't really get a good feel though, I was so excited about them coming to the party that I left really fast, you know me."

"I guess we'll have to wait until then to find out. Anyway, I gotta go. Thanks Care!"

After hanging up her phone, Elena turned to Damon and Stefan to fill them in on everything Caroline had informed her of.

"She said there was a girl and three guys. There's something magical with them, but she didn't stick around long enough to figure out anything else, just that they seemed nice. She invited them to her party, we should be able to meet them there."

"As long as they aren't here to cause trouble. It seems like that's the only reason anyone ever comes here anymore."

Damon tried not to flinch at his brother's words; that was the reason _he_ had come to this town, no matter what reason he stayed. He looked away as Stefan kissed Elena's cheek and went upstairs, and tried not to feel the awkwardness left behind burning his cheeks as Elena seemed to finally notice him in the room. Things had been very weird between them since she'd left him to be with Stefan again, but he was trying to prove he wasn't old Damon anymore. He may not be sorry for his past, but he was trying to get away from it. He was trying to be a friend for once in his life. And friends wanted what was best for their other friends. He was not good at this part, but dammit he was trying.

"Hey, Damon?"

"Uh.. yeah?"

"Are we... are we alright?"

He looked up at her at that, meeting her eyes for the first time since she'd entered the living room with Stefan.

"Of course. Friends forever, and all that."

"Ok. It's just-"

"I gotta head out. I'll be back later. Need anything?"

"Well no, but-"

"Alright then. Later Elena!"

Well it could have gone worse, he supposed. He didn't really have anywhere to be, but he certainly didn't want to stay there. He walked out the front door with no real destination in mind. Maybe he'd go spy on the newbies and see if he could learn a helpful thing or two. Or maybe he'd mope around the cemetery again. One thing was certain though, he really needed to find a place of his own. And a hobby.


	3. Chapter 3

Sea meets Earth chapter 3

 _ **Chapter 3**_

Stefan Salvatore had no real reason to be in a grocery store right now, but he filled his basket with odds and ends anyway in an effort to remain conspicuous. He was really here to see if he could run into any of the newcomers to their town. Despite Caroline assuring them they were mostly harmless, he was choosing to err on the side of extreme caution. There had just been too much going on lately, too much danger swirling around Mystic Falls, too many people showing up trying to cause some sort of trouble, and leaving a string of deaths in their wake. And he'd just gotten Elena back. He was not risking her safety. He didn't know what these new people looked like, but it was a small enough town, if he saw someone he'd never seen before they were likely the new additions. He just wanted to talk to one of them, greet them, get a feel for them. See if he could find out why they'd chosen Mystic Falls of all places to resettle.

He struck gold in the produce aisle when he spotted a pretty young woman who appeared Asian in decent. Her thick black hair fell down her back in waves, her eyes hidden as she examined the peach in her hand. He approached and cleared his throat to gain her attention, and was struck dumb when her eyes swung up to meet his. Bright, warm blue, not what he had expected, but it was the knowing glint and the deep, ancient glow in them that really unsettled him. She had eyes that no normal, human woman should have. There was also something else, something hovering around her that he couldn't quite place, but other than that, there was nothing to indicate she was anything more than a normal, human woman. He shook his head to clear it of his unease and extended his hand with a polite smile before speaking.

"Hello, I'm Stefan. You must be new here."

Kagome felt the man's approach from behind her well before he reached her side. He had the same sort of feel about him as her friendly blonde neighbor had. He was not human, not entirely, that much she could tell. He also held the same curiosity that Caroline had held, but there was caution in his aura too. He was wary of her, for some reason. Perhaps he knew some things about the goings on in this town that could help her. At the sound of his throat clearing she turned and met his eyes with a smile. He seemed caught off guard for a moment despite her not having said anything yet, but then his face cleared and he offered his hand and a warm smile.

"Hello, I'm Stefan. You must be new here."

Her own smile widened at his kindness as she took his hand and shook it.

"I'm Kagome. And yes, I arrived yesterday. It's nice to meet you."

"I hope you're settling in alright, moving can be stressful. I hope Caroline and her little party aren't adding to any moving stress. She can be pretty... enthusiastic."

"Oh not at all, she was very sweet. And I'd like a chance to meet some more locals, actually. Most of my friends who came to help me settle in will be returning home sooner or later. It will nice to make some new friends here."

"I see, where are you all from?"

"Japan."

"Wow, that's quite a long ways off. What brought you here to Mystic Falls?"

"Oh you know, just ready for some new scenery."

Kagome was alarmed to find Stefan suddenly leaning into her, his face growing steadily closer to her own. She watched transfixed as his pupils dilated and widened, and when he spoke next, his voice was serious and intent. She fought off a shiver of discomfort as she felt her mental defenses kick in, and her confusion was not remedied by the words that came next from his mouth.

Stefan did not like using his powers of coercion unless he absolutely needed too. It was a practice that left him feeling grimy; manipulation was just not a tool he enjoyed using on others. But these felt like special circumstances, and the lives of the many people he cared about stood out bright in his mind against his guilt at using such a weapon on a seemingly innocent new arrival. He'd do what he had to do to protect them, such was his vampiric nature.

"Tell what you're doing in Mystic Falls."

Short, simple, no room for anything to go wrong or anyone to get hurt. He wouldn't even ask her to forget anything or leave, unless her answer was less than completely innocent. He was thrown off again as her eyes sharpened and narrowed, the trance like state she had appeared to be in before thrown off and confusion and curiosity shined behind her features instead. This is not what he had expected, he was certain she hadn't had a chance to come across any vervain, especially if she came all the way from Japan. He reeled as he grasped for a way to salvage this encounter and answer her next enquiries without giving himself away completely.

"Why were you looking at me like that?"

"Uh, like what?"

"Your eyes. They were doing this thing... and why did you ask me that so seriously?"

"I'm... I'm socially awkward. Sorry."

Her answering smile was filled with amusement and even had a mocking edge. She knew this was a badly spun lie, and he felt like a child caught with his his whole arm shoved down into the cookie jar.

"Right. I'm sure. Well, it was nice to meet you Stefan. Maybe I'll see you again at this little get together in a few days."

She threw a wink over her shoulder at him and he blushed. He had never felt so exposed without ACTUALLY exposing himself before. It was as if she could see straight through him to the soul he wasn't even sure he had anymore. His brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what to make of that encounter. He'd meant to keep control of the situation, get some useful information, at least enough to quell his anxieties about yet another new interloper in what he _wante_ d to be a peaceful town. She'd somehow pulled the rug out from under him and gained the upper hand. And he had a feeling she left with more knowledge of him than he had gained about her, despite being the one asking all the questions. He felt no less unsettled than he had when he walked in, and decided to ditch his basket of random store goods and head home to ask Elena what she thought of the new woman's odd behavior.

Kagome bumped her hip against Shippo's as he leaned against the kitchen counter, watching her chop vegetables for dinner. His concealing spell was down, leaving his hair shimmering red and his ears pointed. He didn't look much different in his human disguise, none of them did, but their coloring was less vibrant and their eyes didn't glow that other-worldly glow. She much preferred when they could walk around as themselves.

"You are completely useless. Why don't you grab some plates and set the table?"

Shippo brought his hand to his chest in mock offense, and she giggled at the exaggerated wounded look on his face.

"Because Koga and Inuyasha are in there playing some stupid card game and I need a break from those Bakas. I can't wait till they leave."

"It will certainly be quieter around here, won't it?"

"That's no joke." He said with a scoff and a roll of his eyes as he recalled all the arguments that had broken out between the two hot headed demons since they'd left Japan. He was eternally grateful they wouldn't be living with them long term. He noticed Kagome's preoccupation and became concerned when she didn't seem to notice anything beyond the carrot she was chopping.

"Hey ma, what's wrong?"

Kagome started at the sound of his voice, then shot him a reassuring smile as she resumed her chopping.

"Oh nothing important. I had a strange encounter at the store today, that's all."

"What happened? Was someone rude to you? Do I need to kill them?"

He flexed his claws and ignited them with the blue flames of his fox fire, and she giggled at him. He was pleased to see the happiness in her eyes, she should always be so happy he thought, and he lowered his hand and recrossed his arms across his chest.

"No nothing like that, silly fox. I met this guy named Stefan. He knows Caroline. He felt similarly to her, he's certainly not completely human. He was nice enough at first but then he got all weird and close and focused and asked why I'd come here. It was like he was trying to _make_ me answer him. It didn't work of course, and that seemed to really spook him."

"Do you feel alright? He didn't frighten you?"

"No actually, I think I frightened HIM."

"Well you can he hella frightening. He probably sensed the evil all the way to your soul."

"Oh shut up Shippo, and go set the table!" He laughed and danced just out of her reach as she tried to smack him with the dish towel she had used on the dishes earlier. She shook her head in fond exasperation as he poked his tongue out her her and fled around the corner, presumably to the dining room to prepare the table for dinner. She was so happy he was staying with her, she added the chopped carrots to the soup she was making and let the warmth and love she felt for her beloved baby fox (no matter how big he was now, he was forever her baby) wipe away all the apprehension she'd felt after her strange encounter with Stefan earlier. They'd be ok, they had each other. That was all that mattered.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Just a reminder that I still don't own any of these characters!

 _ **Chapter 4:**_

"It was strange Elena. My coercion had absolutely no affect on her at all."

Stefan had wasted no time getting home and relaying his strange encounter with Kagome to Elena and Damon, who was reclined back on the couch with a newspaper.

"Well, why do you think that is?"

"I'll take vervain for 500 Alex," Damon quipped sarcastically as he turned another page in his paper.

They both glanced his way, Elena furrowing her brows at the newspaper in his hands.

"It couldn't be vervain," Stefan replied, "she's only been here a day. She came all the way from Japan. She'd have no time to get any. I'm sure she doesn't know she needs it either. She could tell that I was trying to do something, she just didn't know what it was."

Elena's eyes widened in shock and Damon glanced off to the side in contemplation, finally taking his eyes off of his newspaper for the first time since Stefan had returned.

"There was also something off about her eyes but-"

Damon turned another page and interjected, interrupting his brother's next thought with obvious irritation.

"Don't you think you could be making a bigger deal out of this than its worth? Most people who come here to cause trouble have caused it by now. All she's done so far is move in and buy onions." The pages of his newspaper rustled again, and Elena's curiosity over it finally overwhelmed her.

"Damon, what are you doing reading the newspaper? I've never seen you with a newspaper."

"Can't a guy keep up with local current events without an interrogation?"

"A guy? Yes. You? Not so much." Damon sighed and carefully folded the newspaper and set it aside. He knew the coming confrontation was going to be awkward but he supposed it would have to happen sooner or later.

"I'm... looking for an apartment."

"WHAT?!"

"Why are you leaving?"

"You don't have to go!"

"Does this have to do with us?"

"I thought we were fine, Damon!"

They're shocked replies came all at once, and if it wasn't for his enhanced hearing, he probably wouldn't have been able to decipher their jumbled shouts. It was exactly the type of response he'd been dreading.

"Um, it's alright guys. It was just something I was considering. Thought it might help with the whole friend thing." He glanced between them as the heavy, awkward atmosphere he'd been hoping to dispel settled back around them like a heavy shroud. It was suffocating, and left him uncomfortably vulnerable. It was something he'd been trying to deal with since Elena had brought that final ax down on his heart and left him for good, running back into his brother's arms. He'd known she wasn't trying to hurt him, and was likely still feeling guilty. He knew if he moved out she'd blame herself, but just as she was taking her happiness by returning to Stefan, he was looking out for his own by putting some physical distance between them.

"As long as you know you don't have to leave. That we don't want you to." Stefan's words were heartfelt, and his grip on his shoulder made him feel warm. He knew they'd all be ok, but he needed to retreat for while to get there.

"I know brother. Thank you."

"UUUHHGH Inuyasha! Just leave me alone! I told you that _you_ don't have to go, so why are you bugging _me_ to stay home?!"

"Cuz wench, if _you_ go then I have to go. Kami knows you can't manage to stay out of trouble for two seconds." Kagome pushed around him to get to her dresser, which held her earrings and the necklace she planned on wearing tonight. Caroline had stopped by two days earlier to drop off a note containing all the information for the party she was throwing, more excited babbles about how they had to come and how excited she was. She was currently trying to get ready to go, but a certain hanyou was stopping her progress, trying once again to convince her to just not go so _he_ could stay home.

"You know Koga and Shippo are coming with me. And you _don't_ have to babysit me anymore Inuyasha. You don't want to go, and I know Kikyo doesn't want to go, so you guys just stay here."

"Feh! Those Bakas can't protect _anyone_ right. We'll just have to come too."

"Whatever Inuyasha, so long as you leave me alone to get ready, now GET OUT of my room before I purify you!" She pushed the irritating hanyou out of her door and shut it firmly behind her, collapsing against it with a deep sigh. 500 years and Inuyasha was no easier to deal with. He was still stubborn and overbearing and she wanted to pound her head against the wall. She wasn't sure how Kikyo had managed to be mated to him all these years without losing her mind, gods knew she'd have lost hers by now. She pushed off the door and finished readying herself to leave, then headed down into the kitchen and grabbed the food Koga had badgered her into making and prepared to head out.

"Guys, time to go!"

"Coming!"

She took a deep, steadying breath to calm her nerves. Something was itching at the back of her mind, something she couldn't quite grasp, something trying to tell her that something big was about to happen. She'd been feeling it all morning, and hadn't been able to shake the nervous jitters it caused her all day. She was ready to get this over with and hopefully squash whatever senses where buzzing around in her head and unsettling her.

"GUYS! I'm going to leave without you!"

"Keep you're shirt on, wench! We're coming!" Inuyasha cried as he rushed down the stairs and met her near the front door.

"Just for that Inuyasha, you get to carry the food!"

"Yeah yeah whatever."

Damon tapped his folded newspaper on the kitchen table and bounced his foot with a nervous energy he couldn't place. He had no reason to feel this way, but something had been swirling around in his mind, nudging at him incessantly as if trying to get him to realize something that was right under his nose. It was driving him crazy, and he was focused on this feeling so intently that Elena's voice breaking through his reverie startled him, and he looked up at her with a quickly beating heart as he tried to clear his head and process her question.

"Are you going to Caroline's party tonight? The new people will be there, she's very excited about it."

"I don't know. Haven't really thought about it."

"You should! It could be fun. We're leaving now, but if you decide to come later, then we'll see you there."

"Yeah sure. Maybe I will." He knew he probably sounded distracted but he couldn't help it. He'd been sitting and driving himself mad all day and he wasn't sure how to stop. He took to pacing, then sitting again, back to pacing, then finally settled back into his chair before he decided he'd had enough. He was an hour and a half late, but he was going to the party. Maybe he'd get his mind off of... whatever this mess was whirring about in his brain. He slipped his arms in his leather jacket and made his way out of his front door, the slight chill in the air helping to clear his head and sharpen his senses. He made his way toward the Forbes house determined to distract himself for at least an hour or two.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

Kagome had forgotten how much she hated parties. However, she had not forgotten how insufferable Inuyasha could get when he thought he was right, so she did her very best to at least appear as if she was enjoying herself. It wasn't a huge party, thankfully, just slightly too large for a dinner party, and certainly not big enough to be one of those frat things that were so popular on American TV. She'd been shuffled around by Caroline the minute she'd walked in the door, introduced to person after person after person. Most had been very nice, which went far to curb any awkwardness and she was grateful for it. She perked up at the sight of Stefan, a familiar face was a welcomed change after the tide of new ones she'd spent the last eternity looking at. As Caroline stopped in front of him and prepared her introduction, Kagome interrupted, a sly smile on her face as she noticed Stefan trying to squash his awkwardness.

"Hello Stefan, nice to see you again!"

"Oh! You know each other already?" Caroline asked bemusedly, her head cocked to the side and her eyes wide in curiosity.

"We uh, we met at the store the other day." Stefan provided, and Caroline didn't seem to notice his nervousness so didn't think to pry any further.

"Where's Elena, has she met Kagome yet?"

"No, she went to get drinks, she should be- oh, there she is." Kagome looked toward the kitchen door, the direction Stefan had turned his attention, and noticed a pretty brunette approaching with two cups. She was the same sort of being that Stefan and Caroline were, and she had a sweet smile that crinkled the corners of her big brown eyes. She reached Stefan's side, handed him his cup and extended her hand in greeting.

"Hi, I'm Elena. Welcome to Mystic Falls!"

"Elena and Stefan are the town's star crossed love birds, finally reunited after fate cruelly tore them asunder." Kagome shook Elena's hand and tried not to laugh outright at Caroline's uncomfortable description of the relationship status of the couple in front of her.

"Oh um, how nice! Congratulations. And thank you, Mystic Falls has been wonderful so far. And this is certainly the most enthusiastic 'Welcome' I've ever gotten anywhere." Caroline beamed, thoroughly pleased with herself, and Stefan picked up on the tail end of Kagome's statement and decided to try fishing for info again. He hoped against hope that this time wouldn't be such a colossal failure.

"You move around a lot then?"

"I guess you could say I travel a lot for work." Kagome replied breezily. It was honest enough. She'd been all over the world in her long life, either learning new training techniques or investigating potential interest in the jewel or some other task Sesshoumaru saw fit to send her on.

"And what kind of work has brought you here?" He pressed on, still unable to shake the weird feeling he got around her. Kagome looked ready to respond when Shippo appeared next to her, fidgeting nervously and looking sheepish.

"Can I talk to you in the kitchen please? Now?"

"Uh, of course, right away. Oh, Shippo, this is Stefan and Elena. Guys, this is Shippo, my-"

"Right, nice to meet you both, charmed, what a pleasure. We should do this again soon, bye." He threw a salute toward them over his shoulder and drug a confused and irritated Kagome into the kitchen and toward a corner that was mostly empty and quiet.

"Alright, Shippo, out with it. What's so wrong that you'd forget your manners?" He cringed at the mention of his rudeness, and scratched the back of his head before reluctantly making his request.

"Uh, can I go home?"

"What? Why? We haven't been here that long, I need you to-"

"I've done like 20 rounds of this room, no one is talking about the jewel. Most of those people are human anyway, and the females keep clinging to me and I just want to go home and play the new game I bought yesterday." Kagome's face softened in sympathy. Her poor fox was visibly uncomfortable and she could not in good conscience ask him to stay any longer than he had just for her sake. She forgot sometimes that, as a full demon, he took even longer to completely grow up than even Inuyasha had. He may have lived through the centuries with her, but he was still so young.

"Of course you can go home Shippo. I know it's not far, but please be careful, alright?" He swept her up in his arms and nearly squeezed the life out of her.

"Thanks Ma. You're the best!" He brushed his lips against her cheek and set her down gently before rushing back into the living room and out the door toward home. She got herself a drink and made her way back toward the little group she'd been talking too before Shippo's interruption. She decided to partially follow the lazy fox's lead and pardoned herself for a chance to recharge her socialization engines.

"Excuse me guys, I'm going to step outside for some air."

"Of course," Elena said with an understanding smile. "But first, Stefan and I would love to have you over for dinner. All of you. It's hard to get to know someone at a party like this." Kagome felt genuine excitement at the thought of having dinner with them. Dinner was much more enjoyable than parties, and it would be so nice to make new friends so quickly.

"I'd love that, thank you." They exchanged numbers and Kagome excused herself again and made her way toward the door, drink still in hand. She twisted the handle and pulled the door open, stepping out quickly, eager for some fresh air to clear her mind. Instead of a crisp breeze and the smell of freshly mowed grass, however, Kagome was met with a face full of broad, warm chest, the white cloth of the T-shirt covering it slowly becoming more transparent as the drink she'd been previously holding seeped into the fabric and spread further and further out. Her eyes went wide in astonishment, and they locked on the spreading stain as her mind blanked and tried to catch up with what was happening versus what it had been expecting. She felt a pair of large hands close around her upper arms just above her elbows and push her back slightly, helping her more firmly back onto her feet. That seemed to work in snapping her out of her daze as she slowly trailed her eyes up the chest she'd been leaning against to meet the eyes of the man she'd stumbled into. She was ready with an apology at the tip of her tongue when the two sets of blue eyes between them finally locked and the world around them seemed to fall away. Every word she'd ever known fled her mind and her cheeks bloomed a rosy hue as she tried to fumble for something to say to the man still holding onto her, his own look of surprise etched onto his beautiful features.

"Uh... hello..."

Damon wasn't sure what exactly he was expecting out of the "party" Caroline had been hyping up these last several days but as long as he could get out of his own head for a few hours he'd be grateful. He hadn't managed to completely shake the weird feeling that had been nagging him all day on the walk over, but he had been able to put it more toward the back of his mind in an effort to not be a total buzz kill at this thing. He had just stepped up to the door when it swung open and a short body collided with his chest. He felt her drink soak through his shirt and reached out to steady her by her arms, pushing her back a little so he could see her face and make sure she was okay. When she looked up at him, he was unprepared for the feeling that swept through him at the sight of her eyes. They were beautiful. Blue, warm, glowing, and they made him feel a sense of calm he wasn't sure he'd ever felt in his life. It was almost as if he could feel something click into place deep within his soul, _did he have a soul?_ he wasn't sure. He was struggling with how to proceed when her soft voice reached his ears, and helped shake him from the trance she had unknowingly put him under.

"Um...hello..."

"Hi. I'm Damon. Are you alright?"

"I.. yes. I'm... " she looked down and noticed the wet splotch on the front of his shirt, finally processing what it meant and he watched as her cheeks darkened in embarrassment. She covered the spot with her hands and tried wiping at it, and he tried to ignore how the spot she touched tingled.

"I'm SO SORRY. Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I'm so clumsy, I can't believe.. I.. I can fix it! Here, let me clean it, take your shirt off and I can..." her eyes flew open again and met his as her words seemed register to her. He watched her expression change into one of pure horror and her cheeks darkened again. _Was it possible for someone to blush so dark they fainted?_ he thought, and felt a real, genuine smile stretch across his face, one that surely echoed both his amusement and his enchantment toward the beautiful girl who's arms he still grasped and who's hand was still covering the wet spot on his chest. His usual go-to response in such a situation, a suggestive remark and a flirty smirk, felt out of place here. Instead he released her arms and stepped back just a little farther to give her some space. Before her hand could drop from his chest he grabbed it, holding it between them as if to shake it in greeting. He put on what he hoped was a charming smile, and finally addressed the girl in front of him once again.

"How about you just give me your name?"

"Oh. OH! Right, my name! My name is Kagome." _Kagome_. He liked that name. As pretty as she was.

"It's nice to meet you Kagome. Are you the mysterious new arrival Caroline's been talking our ears off about?"

"Yes, that would be me, HA HA! Yep! I'm here, new to town, and this is a party! That you came too, so nice to meet you.. OH napkins! I need to go get you napkins! Your shirt! My drink! Uh.. I'll be back!" She pulled her hand from his and rushed off back to the kitchen. Damon watched her go with an odd feeling in his heart. It felt much lighter than it had the past few weeks, and it felt like the ever present restlessness he'd never been able to shake had receded some. He was thoroughly intrigued, and he couldn't help but notice that the odd feeling of foreboding that had plagued him all day was finally gone.

Kagome wanted to die. She wanted a rip in the fabric of reality to open and swallow her up completely. She wanted to open the fridge and bash her head with the door over and over until she knew nothing else. She had never been so mortified, ever, and she had no idea how she would ever face anyone in that room again. Once she'd broken from whatever spell his stupid, beautiful eyes had put on her and the world started spinning again, she could feel almost every eye in the room on her. She could hear Koga snickering somewhere in the background, no doubt totally enjoying her humiliation. She could just feel Inuyasha rolling his eyes and she just really wanted to die. Was that too much to ask?  
As bad as the embarrassment had been though, she had no idea how to even process the way her heart had begun beating at the sight of him, or the feeling of her soul almost reaching out toward him. It was completely unprecedented, and Kagome wasn't sure how what to think about it. Inuyasha had not been her first and only attempt at romance in her life. She'd been courted, had dated, been in relationships and had even almost been engaged a few times before things always seemed to abruptly not be working out anymore. She'd made an honest effort to live a normal life in all arenas despite how abnormal all of her circumstances were. Yet despite all of her seeming experience, she had never experienced that kind of reaction to anyone, ever. She didn't even know him!

She continued her pacing, allowing herself to play coward just a few more moments as she regrouped and calmed her frantic nerves before grabbing a handful of napkins and going to find Damon. She was startled out of her mind again when she found him waiting on her right outside of the kitchen. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. She tried not to think about how his muscles had felt under her hand just a few moments ago and simply thrust out the napkins she held toward him.

"Here! Napkins, just like I promised. I'm so sorry, again. I wasn't paying attention. I... I can pay for that?"He smiled the most beautiful smile she'd ever seen, holding one of the napkins to the wet spot.

"It's alright, it's just an old t-shirt. No worries."

"Right.. well, I should go. I've got to get up early. Um, it was nice to meet you Damon."

"I'll see you around then, Kagome." The way he said her name left her feeling just slightly breathless but she was determined to stop being such a fumbling mess around him _right now damnit_.

"Hopefully next time will less... messy." She said with a touch of mischief, reaching out to shake his hand again. He closed his hand around hers and gave it a small shake, and then a lingering squeeze, never breaking eye contact or dropping his amused grin. She stepped back and dropped her hand, giving him a small wave as she retreated to bid Caroline and Elena farewell, collected Koga and Inuyasha (Kikyo apparently having left ages ago) and headed home to lock herself in her room to overthink every excruciating detail of that entire exchange.

 **A.N.: MUAHAHAAH! Awkwardness all around! Thanks for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

It had been three days since that horrifying encounter at Caroline's party, and Kagome had spent no shortage of time overanalyzing every last detail of that whole messy situation. Her heart also insisted on doing this obnoxious little flutter every time she remembered the way Damon's eyes had sparkled with mirth, or how dazzling his smile was, or how...

She shut those thoughts out as best as could. She was never one to be swept up by good looks and muscles, but that was all she new about Damon, so she couldn't think of anything else that could be causing her to react in such a way. She supposed there was no use trying to figure it out now, so she continued to get dressed to go to Elena's and have dinner with her and Stefan. She was genuinely excited for tonight, it was a chance to form a new friendship AND get her mind off of that embarrassing display from the other night. She had made cookies to take with her, and though she knew this was probably a ploy to figure her out and determine her motives for moving, she was more than happy to dispel them of any fears and move forward with a friendly relationship. She could surmise that some intense things had most likely happened in this area recently, so she didn't hold their caution against them. If it was _her_ family at risk, she would be just as cautious.

She took a final look in her mirror and headed downstairs to roundup her brood of youkai to drag them with her to dinner. The invite had been for all of them, after all. But when she reached the living room she found all three of them in pajamas or underwear playing video games with pizza boxes scattered around. Kikyo was perched on the couch ignoring everyone and reading a book.

"EXCUSE ME!"

All three of them tensed and froze at the sound of her raised voice, slowly turning to face her with wide, fearful eyes, mouths agape, the explosions on the TV foreshadowing their coming fate in this very living room.

"What is going on here?! We're supposed to going to have dinner at Elena's! None of you are dressed! And you're completely filled with pizza, aren't you? When did you even order pizza?!"

"Awwww come on Kagome, none of us wants to go! It's just a girly dinner party and it's going to be no fun!" Koga whined petulantly, crossing his arms after tossing the half eaten slice of pizza that had been hanging from his fangs back into the open box in front of him.

"Girly? _Stefan_ is going to be there!"

"Feh! We met that guy wench, and ain't none of us wants to hang with him. He's a broody little punk. I prefer the mangy wolf's company."

"Oh Inuyasha! Whatever! And I suppose you'd like to stay too, Shippo?" She turned her frown toward the nervous fox and tapped her toe, waiting for his answer. He smiled sheepishly but met her eyes and his honesty made her aggravation at him melt away.

"I'll go if you really want me too, but If I have the choice..."

"Oh alright Shippo, I'll just go by myself. Maybe not having to deal with you bakas for once will be nice. What about you, Kikyo, do you want to go?" She figured her offer would be rejected, but she also knew it was the thought that counted. Kikyo's barely uttered "no" was all the prompting she needed, and she walked outside to make her way to the address Elena had provided. It was a beautiful evening, so she decided to walk and make the most of the fresh air. It also help to calm her nerves, and she was nothing but serene happiness when she arrived and knocked on the door. She should have anticipated that she wouldn't be allowed to remain in such a peaceful state for long, but she still hadn't learned that lesson even all these years later. No sooner had she knocked on the door to the house Elena had given her the address for, chaos descended on her life again as she was greeted _not_ by Stefan or Elena, but by the beautiful face that had haunted her relentlessly these last few days. She was gaping, and her mouth opened and closed a few times like a fish before she snapped it shut for good. He was smirking at her, and his eyes glittered with obvious humor as he crossed his arms over his chest.

" _Well well well_ , what do we have here?" His voice was coated with amusement and Kagome finally managed to snap herself out of her shock to reply.

"You... what are _YOU_ doing here?!" He cocked a brow at her and his smirk widened, his enjoyment of the situation plainly evident. He pointed at himself and tilted his head to the side and tried (and failed) to appear innocent as he answered her.

"Me? I live here. What are _you_ doing here?"

"You... you live here?"

"Yes. So if you aren't here to see me, which is a shame by the way, why _are_ you here?" Kagome's mind stuttered for a moment as it flailed for a response.

"Elena invited me for dinner. I guess I got the wrong house?" She made to back away and try the next house when Damon stepped to the side and ushered her through the door.

"No, she's here. So, _you're_ the reason Elena's been stinking up the kitchen all day."

"Ha ha! Very funny Damon!" Kagome faintly heard Elena's voice ghosting from the kitchen and she giggled as she turned to Damon to say something witty, but then he winked at her and her mind ground to a halt again. This was getting ridiculous. She had not acted like such a school girl over a guy since she was an actual school girl! She shook her head and tried to center herself before she tried again. Clearing her throat, she turned to him and attempted to speak coherently, but the way he was looking at her made it difficult.

"So you live with Elena?"

"Sort of. Stefan is my brother, and Elena lives with him."

"Stefan is your brother?"

"Yep! Baby brother Stefan, still following me around like a helpless puppy."

" _That_ is not even remotely true. Hello Kagome, make yourself at home. Shall I take these to the kitchen?"

"Oh! Hello Stefan. And yes, thanks." She handed him the container with her cookies and turned back to Damon.

"So, will you be staying for dinner?"

"Well of course! Who else will you pour your drinks on if I'm not there?" She felt her cheeks burn and fiddled with the hem of her blouse nervously.

"I am really sorry about that.."

"It's okay Kagome. Just know that if you want to see me with my shirt off, you only need to ask next time."

It was Damon's incorrigible grin that kept her from self destructing right then and there. It had been so long since she'd seen such a truly shameless display of such blatant sexual flirting that she couldn't help the beaming smile she felt growing across her face. She had half a mind to research whether any of Sango and Miroku's decedents had ever come to America.

"I'll keep that in mind." She said with a wink, and then Elena's call to dinner interrupted any further flirting as they both made their way to the dining table with matching smiles.

Damon had expected to see the new girl around town eventually, he was prepared for that. He was not prepared for her to just show up at his house a mere three days after she'd burst head on into his life out of nowhere and left him feeling completely off kilter. He'd thought of her often in the days since she'd stumbled into his arms, and the memory of her still left him feeling warm and still. He sat across from her at the table and decided to mostly just watch her interact with the others. Her smile was devastating, and he figured it was safest to observe it when it was directed at the others for now.

"So why didn't the others want to come, Kagome?" Elena asked, curious as to why she'd come all by herself when the invitation had been extended to the whole house.

"Oh, they decided they weren't up to pretending to be civilized for the night. And I decided coming by myself was better than dragging them along and then baby sitting them the whole time. I thought Shippo might want to come with me even without the other two, but he abandoned me as well!"

"How long have you and Shippo been together?" Elena's question had been perfectly innocent, Damon knew that, and it was a common question to ask someone you'd just met and were trying to get to know. He ignored the pang in his heart at the idea that she might be with someone already and focused on the fact that her eyes had gone wider than he'd thought possible for any person and her face had drained of all color.

"Wh-wh-what?" Kagome stuttered out in response, very obviously horrified that someone would ask such a thing. "Why would you ask that?"

"Well, he drug you away for some reason at Caroline's party, and it wasn't long after that that _you_ left. You two just seemed very close to each other, I don't know, I just assumed." Damon glanced back to Kagome, very interested in her answer. To his relief her color had returned to her cheeks and she'd begun giggling. Her laughter chimed in his ears, as light and lovely as she was, and as sappy as it sounded, he could listen to it all day.

"Oh my gods, Shippo is not my boyfriend."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I-"

"No, it's ok. We are very close. He's my son." The wheels in Damon's mind screeched to a halt as he tried to make sense of what she'd just said. This young woman in front of him was certainly not old enough to have a child old enough to be mistaken as her boyfriend.

"Uh... what?" He couldn't hold back his confusion if he tried.

"Um, Kagome, how do you have a son that old?"

"He's adopted. I found him when he was teeny tiny and he's been with me ever since." She was beaming, obviously very proud, as most mothers were, he supposed. He was glad Stefan seemed to find the words that he couldn't, because his next question was what he was sure they all wanted to ask. Best leave it to Stefan, he was the more diplomatic of the two of them, in any case.

"Kagome, forgive us if this is, crass... you don't appear old enough to have a child that age, adopted or otherwise."

"Don't I?" She asked enigmatically, and Damon finally found his voice to respond to what he knew was mostly a hypothetical question.

"No. You don't." She smiled at them all, almost condescending, and Damon braced himself for something, something he could feel hovering just around all of them. Something that was about to shake them all to the core.

"I would think you three of all people should know that appearances can be very deceiving, wouldn't you agree?"

He was right.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: Friendly reminder that I still don't own these characters. Also, I may have taken some creative liberties with Kagome's Miko powers, ( and TVD vampire lore in general) but this is all very tame compared to some of the things I've seen her so in fanfics before. And it's all in good fun, anyway, like all fanfiction should be. Enjoy!

 _ **Chapter 7**_

"I would think you three of all people should know that appearances can be very deceiving, wouldn't you agree?"

The tension in the room swirled thick and heavy as they all processed just what exactly she could mean by those particular words spoken in that particular order. Kagome couldn't help but relish it for just one sweet second. This invitation HAD been an effort to pick apart her motives, if she could have a little fun _and_ clear her name with them at the same time, then why not? Elena seemed to be the one to come to the right conclusion first.

"You... you know... you know that we're... "

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't have any idea _what_ you are, I just know you aren't completely human."

"How?"

"I guess I'm not completely human either. Look, I know what this dinner invitation was mostly about. You want to know why I moved here and you want to know that I'm not here to cause you all any trouble. An inordinate number of non humans and beings of magical nature seem to congregate to this particular town. I'm going to guess that many of them like to wreak havoc once they get here. I can sense them, I know who they are. I sense souls and read auras and purify evil. I'm a miko, a Shinto priestess. I've been sent here to keep trouble from happening, not cause it. That's my job. And in case you were wondering, no, Shippo is not human. Neither are Inuyasha or Koga, though Inuyasha is technically half human. Kikyo is human but she rarely leaves the house so I don't think she counts anyway. So, any more questions?"

Damon stared intently at Kagome as she gave her spiel about herself and how she knew that they weren't exactly as human as they she knew they were something "other." Something about that bugged him. Most people wouldn't just agree to be alone with a bunch of strangers if they had any suspicions that they weren't completely normal.

"If you knew we weren't humans, then why did you agree to come here alone. You aren't afraid we might try to hurt you?" Even asking that out of pure curiosity caused an uncomfortable twist in his heart. The thought of hurting her for any reason was already completely unfathomable to him.

"Damon, there is one supernatural being on this entire planet who poses me any real threat, and I call him brother. My abilities as a miko leave me perfectly capable of defending myself against anyone with a magic soul, even if the nature of that soul is such that I can only incapacitate them for a while. For instance, Inuyasha is half human. If I needed to, my powers could strip him of his magical aura and render him totally human for a short period of time. Fortunately or unfortunately, my power is useless against normal humans. And in any case, I can read the intent in a person's soul, and I can tell none of you mean me any harm. You're all pretty swell."

"Wow," Elena breathed in wonder. "I didn't think we had souls anymore." Kagome tilted her head in confusion. Damon had to remind himself that she didn't know _what_ they were yet, that they'd all technically died to become this way.

"Why wouldn't you have a soul? If you didn't have one, I wouldn't be able to sense you at all, but I can. Would you like to know what it looks like?" Elena appeared almost ready to cry. She shook her head eagerly and Kagome obliged her with a type of soul reading he'd never heard before.

"It's yellow, soft and bright. There's a dark core, that's probably your nature as a... whatever you are, but it's very strong and warm. It's lovely." She smiled kindly and reached out to cover Elena's hand with her own, a reassuring gesture to the girl who was obviously struggling with how to process that she wasn't the soulless monster that she must have thought she was now. Damon resisted the urge to roll his eyes; Stefan must also just love the sound of this.

"What do you mean 'dark core' and that it must be our nature?"

"Just that some beings have an innately darker soul than others, Stefan. It doesn't mean you're evil or anything, just that you may have a pension for violence or trickery or even bloodlust to a degree. Youkai are that way, that's what Shippo, Koga and Inuyasha are. There's a naturally darker aspect to them that leaves them more prone to bloodlust or mercilessness. A youkai is more apt to completely destroy someone they find to be a threat, and feel little to no remorse for it. As opposed to humans, who are, usually, more apt to give someone a second or third chance, even if that's not always the best idea. Anyone from any species is capable of good or evil though. I've met some vile youkai that I had no problems turning to ash. But I've met some that were better people than any human, darkness in their soul or not."

"Well that's a pretty damn accurate description of what we are," Damon replied, taking everything she said in stride. She was a pretty unique woman, that was for sure. He smirked at her and reveled in the fact that she couldn't stop her cheeks from pinking when she looked at him.

"Aren't you curious?"

"Well sure! But I'm not going to make you tell me what you are if you don't want to. This food is delicious by the way, Elena." Her ease and casualness about the whole thing was very contagious, at least where Damon was concerned. He'd tell her right now if it was up to him. But in an effort to be more considerate, which is something he wanted to be more of, he asked the others first.

"Shall we then guys?"

"Well, I suppose." Came Elena's nervous reply, and Stefan just shrugged and nodded, finally satisfied that this woman was not going to cause his loved ones any harm.

"Alright then. Kagome, oh wise priestess. We, my friend, are vampires." He smiled a wide, devious smile, though inside he feared she might decide that that was too much for her. That she would leave them, leave him, and never look back. Instead she surprised him again by smacking both hands on the table and excitedly babbling away how wonderful she seemed to find the whole thing.

"NO WAY! Vampires?! That's so cool! I've never met a vampire! I didn't even know those existed! Wow no wonder you guys feel mostly human, you were _born_ human, weren't you?"

Something that had been bound tightly inside Damon released after he knew she wasn't about to turn tail and leave. It didn't make much sense why he felt such a need for this girl to accept him, to not fear him, but he wasn't going to question it. He liked how he felt when he was with her, and after feeling worse than he ever remembered feeling these last few weeks, he wasn't about to push away anything that made him feel like _this_ simply because he didn't understand it. He'd lived too damn long to be THAT stupid.

Stefan watched his brother smile indulgently at the excited girl sitting across from him at the table. It had been a very long time since he'd seen such a peaceful look on Damon's face, and it warmed his heart. He and his brother might have a troubled, rocky past, but Damon had been trying to turn over a new leaf for a while now. Stefan could tell he was lonely, and losing Elena had been hard on him. He wasn't sure what, if anything, might be going on between this Kagome and his brother, but he hoped it would bring Damon some happiness. Besides, moody Damon was the worst Damon if you asked him.

"So," he interrupted Kagome's stream of excitement with a question of his own, "what are these 'youkai' you said your friends are? I don't think I've ever heard of them."

"Oh I'm sure you have, you just don't know it. Ever heard of a nine tailed fox? That's a type of youkai called a kitsune. Shippo is a Kitsune, though a very very young one. He only has two tails right now. Inuyasha is half inuyoukai, or dog, and Koga is ookami, or wolf."

"Oh, so like a werewolf?"

"No, and don't ever let him hear you say that either." She warned, and then giggled, covering her hand with her mouth until she caught her breath.

"On second thought, go ahead and ask him, he's pretty funny when he's that insulted."

Stefan laughed at her little joke, finally feeling at ease in her presence. He liked this girl. She was sharp, and brave, and if she could read souls as well as she seemed too, she would be an asset to have around to help curb some of the danger that found its way here. Yes, she'd be good for his brother. He needed someone who had the ability to look through all the vampire drama and see _him_. He'd have to call Caroline, she loved this matchmaking stuff.

-1-

"I've had such a lovely time, Elena, thank you! But I really should go, it's getting dark, and I walked here."

"I'll walk you home." Damon was taking a chance and he knew it, but he wasn't ready to part from Kagome just yet. He'd made his offer out of pure desire to be next to her for a while longer, and he was risking that she might not be comfortable being alone with him yet.

"Oh, are you sure? You don't have to. I would really appreciate it though, Damon." She was smiling shyly at him, her cheeks dusted pink and her eyes shimmering and Damon was in trouble.

"I don't mind." He ignored Elena's confusion at Stefan's knowing smirk and walked out the front door with her. It was a beautiful, clear night. The sky sparkled with a million stars and the air was crisp and he couldn't have picked a better atmosphere if he tried. He stuck his hands in his pockets and let her lead the way, admiring how the starlight shimmered in her raven hair.

"So I have a ton of questions."

"I figured you might. Go ahead, ask away. I am your resident vampire expert, a walking encyclopedia, at your service."

She giggled at his antics and bumped her shoulder against him.

"You're stupid. Alright, sorry if this is offensive."

"There's very little that could offend me at this point, I assure you."

"I'm sure. Alright then, do you really have to drink blood?"

"Yes. Obviously I can eat other food, as you saw tonight, but blood is the only thing that's actually nutritious for me now."

"Do you drink human blood?"

"I... I used too."

"But you don't anymore?"

"No. I guess you could call me a vampire vegetarian now. I just drink animal blood."

"You and I have very different definitions of vegetarian, Damon, that's for sure." He laughed out right at her and felt a lightness in his soul that was completely unusual for him. She knew he used to feed off humans, and she was still joking with him, trusting him with her safety and well being. Had he ever felt so warm?

"What does it taste like?"

"Sorry, what?"

"Human blood. What does it taste like? To you, I mean. To me it just tastes metallic."

"Oh? You drink a lot of blood then?"

"Shut up, you know what I mean."

"It tastes like... lightening. It's invigorating, addicting. It's easy to lose yourself to it. Animal blood is nowhere near as good, but it works all the same."

"Why'd you give it up? You don't have to kill people to drink from them do you?"

"Just trying to be better than I used to be, I guess. And no, you don't have to kill them. You can compel someone into letting you feed off of them. Then you compel them to forget and they go on their merry way."

"Compel?"

"It's a particular power all vampires have. We can... hypnotize someone into doing what we want. There are ways to protect yourself, vervain for instance."

"That must be what Stefan was trying to do to me at the store the other day... my own powers keep me from being susceptible to such manipulation, so it didn't work of course. It was very weird though."

"Yes, he was very upset by that by the way. I got to listen to him whine about it the rest of the afternoon." Her tinkling laugh reached his ears and he relished it. Making her laugh might be his new favorite thing.

"Sorry about that. _Now_ , back to my questions. Can you turn into a bat?"

"Okay I was wrong. Now I'm insulted." She was overcome by a fit of giggles and she threw her head back and grasped his sleeve to steady herself. Damon was thoroughly enchanted.

"I'll take that as a no then!"

"Indeed. I can see myself in mirrors too, before you go down THAT road. However, I can't come into your house unless you specifically tell me that I can."

"Really?"

"Yep. I'll be stopped at the threshold until you verbally tell me to enter."

"That's kind of weird. I'd rather turn into a bat." It was his turn to throw his head back and laugh. She continued to surprise him, continued to delight him. He was absolutely in trouble.

"Would you like to know what your soul looks like?"

This question sobered him. Did he want to know? Did it matter? He'd resigned himself to not even having a soul. To being the monster that everyone else seemed to see when they looked at him. The earnest look in her eyes was the answer he needed. He wanted to know how _she_ saw him.

"Yeah. Yeah I do." Her eyes briefly lost focus as they trailed over him, then they sharpened again and smiled brilliantly up at him, making him feel safe and exposed at the same time.

"It's blue. It shimmers, like a summer day. It's so bright. You have the same dark core Elena has, that's your vampyness. It's beautiful."

Her sincerity shattered something within him that he didn't know was there, a wall he didn't remember building. It exposed a part of his heart he'd thought was long dead. They'd reached her house. It was time to say goodnight. He wanted to stall. He reached up and brushed a stray hair out of her face and behind her ear. She blushed and he just managed to not kiss the life out of her.

"I want to see you again."

"Okay."

Her answer was simple, but there was no hesitation at all.

"Tomorrow." He clarified, he wanted no misunderstandings, he didn't want to dance around this with her, no games.

"Yes. You can buy me coffee."

He smirked. Well if he could play the straightforward game then so could she, he supposed.

"Alright then. 10?"

"Perfect."

"Goodnight Kagome." He leaned forward slowly, allowing her time to back away, to deny him. But she held firm, meeting his eyes with a curious mix of confidence and shyness and it made him feel fuzzy inside. He brushed his lips against her cheek and then smiled warmly at her. Turning and walking away was more difficult than he could remember anything else ever being, but the sooner he left, the sooner he could see her again.

Shippo had heard the approaching voices of his mother and some male he couldn't place. He dashed to the window and peeked out of the blinds, and the sight that met his eyes brought a smile to his face.

"Mom's home! And she brought a guy!"

"WHAT?!" Inuyasha and Koga shouted in unison and scrambled to the window to spy along with Shippo. They could hear every word that was being said, and Inuyasha resisted the urge to gag as he listened to Kagome tell this loser how beautiful his soul was.

"What a bunch of sappy shit."

"Shut up Inuyasha, you're just jealous."

"FEH!"

"Well _I'm_ jealous, she's supposed to be MY woman!"

"Koga, mom had never been your woman."

"Well not yet, but I'll wear her down one day!"

"Fat chance you flea bitten bastard, you don't have a chance in-

"Just _WHAT_ do you Baka's think you're doing at that window?!"

Matching looks of horror dawned on all of their faces as they realized their bickering had kept them from hearing her enter the house. They gulped in fear before using every ounce of their demon speed to hightail it to their bedrooms, locking their doors to keep out the fiery wrath of Kagome's temper. They were NOT ready to die, not today.

 **A.N.: TEEHEE. This chapter just would not quit.**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

"You should've have seen how he was looking at her Caroline, I've never seen Damon look at anyone like that. I'm telling you, he's got some kind of feelings for her. I want you to help me get them together."

"Wow Stefan, I didn't know you were the matchmaking type!"

"I'm not. But Damon's really trying you know? And I think this could really help him be happier. And happy Damon is less... homicidal than unhappy Damon, so everyone wins."

"Well as big of a jackass as I think your brother is, I agree. So, what do you want me to do?"

"I don't know, I thought maybe you and Elena could- hold on, he's coming down stairs." Stefan quickly put the phone down on the counter and tried to appear as casual as possible when Damon entered the kitchen. His eyebrows rose when he saw Damon slipping his jacket on before grabbing his wallet off the counter.

"Where are you going so early in the morning?"

"Out."

"Out where?" Damon looked up at him and narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

"What's it too you?"

"I'm just curious to what my big brother is doing today, that's all. Isn't that my job as your baby brother?" Damon did not looked convinced.

"Uh huh. Well if you must know, I have a date."

"A date?! With who?!"

"Kagome." Stefan couldn't stop the grin that spread across his face if he tried.

"Is that so? Well. Have fun then."

"Alright mommy Stefan, I'll be sure to be home by bedtime, too." He scoffed, and Stefan watched him leave the house, waiting until he'd firmly shut the door behind him before picking the phone back up.

"Nevermind Care, he's already got a date with her!"

"You're such a girl Stefan. Hey I gotta go, talk at you later."

"Who was that? And who's got a date?" Stefan turned to greet Elena with a morning kiss and then wrapped his arms around her waist.

"That was Caroline on the phone. And it's _Damon_ who has a date."

"He's got a _date_? With who?"

"Kagome!"

"Already? But they hardly know each other."

"Well isn't that what dates are for?" Elena giggled and snuggled into his chest.

"I suppose so."

"Wench, I don't think this is a good idea. You don't even know the guy."

"That's what dates are _for_ Inuyasha." She continued to sweep around her room, grabbing shoes and bags as she attempted to get ready despite one annoying hanyou trying to talk her out of going out today.

"I don't trust him."

"You don't trust anyone Inuyasha."

"He stinks."

"You think everyone stinks."

"I don't think you stink." He spoke under his breath so she wouldn't hear his last statement. He knew he was being very selfish, but he still had a hard time controlling his protectiveness and jealousy where Kagome was concerned.

"I just think..."

"Inuyasha. We have this very conversation anytime anyone shows any interest in me. It's getting old. I'm a big girl now, I can take care of myself."

"If he hurts you-"

"If he hurts me I'll purify him. Simple as that."

"Do you even know _wha_ t he is? Besides that he's not human?"

"Yes. He's a vampire. And NO, before you start, he's not going to suck my blood or anything. So DROP IT Inuyasha! _OR ELSE_."

Inuyasha gulped and stepped back. There was a knock at the door, and he sighed and resigned himself to watching her step out of the house and take Damon's offered arm before they walked to wherever it was they were going.

He'd just have to keep a close eye on that blood sucking bastard.

"Hey Damon, what's vervain? You mentioned it last night."

Damon blinked up at her, lost for a minute as her words filtered through his mind and he finally registered what they meant. He'd been horribly distracted by the tiny dab of whipped cream on her nose from her coffee. He wasn't sure why she'd gotten whipped cream on a cappuccino, but she looked damn cute with it on her nose like that regardless.

"It's an herb. If you have some on you somewhere, you're impervious to a vampire's compelling powers."

"Oh, that's handy I suppose. What other magical beings live here? I've picked up on some non human auras that don't belong to vampires."

"Witches, werewolves, hybrids. Typical stuff."

"Wow, this is like a real life Halloween town!"

"Oh yes, maybe we should start handing out candy on the street corners." She wrinkled her nose at him and he could practically feel himself glowing.

"Very funny. What's your favorite color?"

"Wait, what?"

"Well, this is a _date_ isn't it? You get to know each other on dates. And you aren't _just_ a vampire. So now, what's your favorite color?"

Damon felt the smallest swelling of pride at hearing her proclaim herself on a date with him so matter-of-factly. But then he felt lost again as he tried to figure out how to answer her question.

"I don't know, I haven't thought about things like favorite color in a long time."

"So think about it now!"

Damon shot her a wry look and then his features softened as he took in her beautiful face looking up at him from across the table. He noticed the bright, sparkling blue of her eyes, the soft, shell pink on her cheeks, and the deep midnight of her hair. How was he supposed to pick just one favorite color? He decided to go for the option that was least obviously about her. He'd like to uphold his reputation at least a _little_.

"Black."

"UGH way to be a cliche."

"What do you mean?"

"A _vampire_ who's favorite color is _black_? What, do you sleep in a coffin too?"

"You're welcome to come find out."

His suggestive remark must have caught her off guard, as she squeaked and covered her burning cheeks with her hands. He laughed merrily at the adorable picture she made, not even bothering to hide his enjoyment of her embarrassment.

"You're so mean. Were Stefan and Elena okay this morning? I didn't freak them out too badly, did I?"

"Well, Stefan was weird but he's never exactly _normal._ "

"Weird how? Was it me?"

"Sort of. I told him I was taking you out and he got all excited mother hen on me."

"Awww! Well that's better than I got. Inuyasha spent the morning trying to convince me that your bad news and I should just stay home."

Damon tried to conceal the flash of uncertainty he felt at her words. Inuyasha wasn't wrong. He was bad news, and she probably _shouldn't_ get wrapped up with him in any way. He was probably being very selfish in pursuing her like this, he would no doubt cause her all sorts of trouble. Her hand covered his and he snapped his gaze back up to hers as she look on him with concern.

"Are you alright?"

"Uh.. yes. Its just that I don't have the best reputation here, so he's not wrong, really. You might be better off-"

"Oh no no no no. Don't start _that_ crap. I WANT to be here, so I'm here. You asked me out and I said yes because so far, based on what I've seen first hand, I like you Damon. I don't really care about who you used to be. What's important is who you are _now_. Understand?"

He grinned and felt the warmth of her words fill him and wipe away his uncertainty.

"Perfectly."

"Good." She sniffed primly and slurped her coffee, getting more whipped cream on her nose. He reached over and wiped it off, startling her into meeting his eyes again. He licked his finger clean and she blushed a dark red that made her eyes glow.

"I like you too, Kagome."

She kicked him under the table and he laughed harder and more genuinely than he could remember laughing in a very long while.

 **A.N.: Hope you're enjoying the fluff! I'm planning some drama soon, so don't get too comfy.  
Also, thank you to everyone who has taken the time to follow, favorite, and review this little story of mine! It means so much! **


	9. Chapter 9

**A.N.: Fluff fluff glorious fluff. Still don't own any of these characters, either.**

 _ **Chapter 9**_

The day was practically sparkling. It was crisp and clear, white wispy clouds painted the sky and the slight nip of early fall made the thought of sitting inside unbearable. That's honestly why Kagome had canceled their previous lunch plans and sprung a picnic on him instead. They were sitting under a tall tree outside Salvatore Manor, as she'd taken to calling it, Damon's head in her lap, her fingers brushing through his hair. After their coffee date yesterday, he'd asked her to spend the next day with him as well. She'd shown up at his door with a basket and an arm full of library books. She spread a blanket on the ground and leaned back against a tree, basket full of food sitting untouched in the meantime on one edge of the blanket.

"What are the books for?"

"They're on the history of this town, mostly. My big brother wants a status report soon."

"Hmmm." He hummed noncommittally, before leaving her to it and simply laying his head in her lap and closing his eyes. She tensed for one moment, eyes wide and face red as she processed the weight of his head on her legs. But then she slumped against the tree, perched her book on one knee and scratched at his scalp with her free hand.

"Hey, Damon?"

"What."

"What exactly are you doing?"

"I'm trying to sleep."

"Do vampires even _need_ to sleep?"

"Shhhhhhhh. Don't stop doing that scratchy thing."

" _Ugh_. Whatever." She continued to scratch at his scalp, having trouble concentrating on the book in front of her. Curiosity about the beautiful being using her as his own personal pillow bubbled in the back of her mind and left her unable to focus.

"Hey Damon?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you like to read?"

"Hmm."

Well. That didn't tell her anything at all. She read a few more pages in her book, only retaining half of the knowledge inside as most of her attention was on the reticent vampire trying to nap on her.

"Hey Damon?"

"What."

"You don't eat _puppies_ do you?"

Her question was met with silence. Apparently he wasn't going to dignify that with an answer. She scanned another page or two, and she couldn't say exactly what she'd read if her life depended on it. Damon was driving her nuts and she wanted to drive him nuts in return.

"Hey Damon?"

"Oh what now?!"

He cracked one eye open at her, his furrowed brows making his face look all squished up in his annoyance. She giggled down at him and brushed the hair off his forehead. He closed his eyes and smiled and Kagome felt her soul singing at the site of him looking so relaxed and happy in her company. There was a tinge of sadness in his aura that she wanted to completely wipe away. It was a strange compulsion she couldn't shake, the need to make him happy, keep him happy. She'd felt similarly toward Inuyasha when she had been younger, but this felt different. It felt gentler, easier, like she wasn't fighting against all of fate just to make him smile. She liked it, so she just accepted it. She was old enough now to know when you should and shouldn't fight against yourself. She knew herself enough to know what her soul was trying to tell her. She was more than open to listening.

"Oh nothing. You have nice hair."

His eyes snapped open and met hers, and something vulnerable simmered just underneath them before it melted into amusement. He smirked at her that heart stopping smirk and nudged the top of his head against her hand that had gone still.

"Then why'd you stop?"

"You're incorrigible!"

His happy laugh felt like a hug to her soul. She resumed her scratching and turned back to her book, feeling contentment wash through her aura.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"You could _help_ ya know."

Damon blinked innocently in the face of her glare. She'd drug him to the library after her attempt to read up on their town history after her little picnic had been a total failure. Not like it was his fault she found him so distracting. Now _he_ was the one distracted. Her hair was in a messy bun, a pencil sticking out of the middle of it and she was positively swimming in the ginormous sweater she was wearing. But she was so cute.

"I _am_ helping."

"How?!"

"I'm here to be a distraction."

"And how is _that_ helping?!"

"What better way to stay sane after looking at all those books for so long, than to have _me_ to gaze upon?"

"Oh gods. Why did I think this was a good idea? You've _lived_ here for how long? I thought you'd be a good resource."

"So you only want me for my knowledge?"

She giggled that heart stopping giggle and then looked at him with eyes flashing mischievously.

"Your knowledge... and your cute butt."

He choked and she cackled and he was a goner.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Hey Damon?"

"Yes?"

"Are vampires immortal?"

He put the can he'd pickup up back down on the shelf in front of him, and turned to look at her, brows furrowed in confusion.

"Yes. What kind of question is that for a grocery store?"

"Just wondering. Have you been alive for a long time?"

"I have. Is that okay?" He's not sure why he never thought that their age difference might bother her, but it's something he should have realized. He met her eyes and found them shining oddly as she examined a box of noodles.

"Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?"

"Maybe it bothers you that I'm so much older than you."

"How old are you?"

He paused for a moment, taking the time to both calculate how old he is now and whether or not telling her would be a good idea.

"At least 170."

"Oh wow."

"I know, I could be your, like, great-great grandfather or something. If it's too weird I-" The sound of her giggling cut him off, and her sparkling eyes and enigmatic smile held him captive as he waited for a response.

"Oh no Damon. I wasn't thinking about how old you are. Quite the contrary, I was thinking that I'd never really thought of myself as a cougar." His dumbfounded look made her snicker and he felt his mental grasp on the situation slip further and further from him. He felt his brain short circuit as she sauntered toward him. She flicked the end of his nose and laughed lightly at him and the lost look on his face. She leaned in conspiratorially, as if she was about to tell him a dangerous secret, and perhaps she was. He listened raptly as she whispered in his sensitive ear.

"I am _much_ older than you."

She leaned back and resumed her perusing of the noodle aisle. He stood there blankly, trying to get his heart rate under control as she simply carried on lifting packages of noodles before deciding on one near the bottom of the shelf she stood in front of.

"I want to make oden for you and Stefan and Elena. And maybe Caroline. As a thank you, ya know?" Come along Damon!"

She was halfway to the next aisle before her whispered words finally trickled down into his brain that had finally managed to reboot itself.

 _"I am much older than you."_

"Wait... _WHAT?!_ "


	10. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10**_

"MoooooOOOooommmmyyyyyy!"

Kagome turned toward the kitchen door, smiling warmly at the sleepy eyed kitsune walking toward the counter where she was preparing breakfast.

"Good morning Shippo." He hugged her from behind and nuzzled his nose into her cheek.

"Good morning most wise and beautiful mother of mine."

"Oh gods," she giggled as she shook him off of her, "what do you want?"

"Nothing!" He said with as much innocence as he could muster, widening his emerald eyes to be as childlike as possible. "I just love you!" His wide smile was all fangs and charm and Kagome snorted in disbelief before returning to her breakfast preparations.

"SooOOOOooooOooOo..."

"Oh gods."

"You've been spending a lot of time with Monsieur Vampire lately."

"I knew it."

"You seem to really like him."

" _I knew it_."

"He seems to really like you..."

"You think so?"

"Well why wouldn't he? My mother is the smartest, kindest, most beautiful-"

"Oh just tell me what you want, Shippo!"

"There's a new game coming out today and-"

Kagome heaved a huge sigh, eyes practically rolling out of her head. Fox antics were never something you could get used too, they only got worse the older they got.

"My purse is on the table, brat!"

"YAY!" He leapt off the counter, ready to spring for the table when he stopped himself, deciding to hug his mother from behind again, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and laying his head atop hers.

"Thanks ma. And I can tell he makes you happy, and that makes _me_ happy."

Kagome's heart melted and she smiled indulgently at her 'baby' fox as he bound over to the table to her purse.

"So, when do I get to meet my new papa?" He said facetiously, and in his distraction he didn't hear her sneak up behind him. His yelp echoed through the house as Kagome twisted up her dish towel and used it to smack him soundly on the rear.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Hello Miko, I see you've finally taken it upon yourself to fill me in on the status of your mission."

"Heh, sorry Sesshy."

"What have I told you about calling me that infernal nickname?"

"It's a term of endearment!"

"Miko."

"Alright alright! Sheesh! So, In the two weeks I've been here, I haven't heard one thing about the jewel. I've taken to scouring the public historical records, and websites on the town lore, and it seems this town has always been a hot spot for magic. It comes in waves, something about doppelgängers."

"Hn. I see. So you do not believe the jewel is in any danger?"

"Not based on what I know now, no. I've had Inuyasha, Koga and Shippo keeping an ear out, they've not heard anything either."

"Hn. I recommend staying a few more weeks to be cautious, then you are free to return."

"Um... what if I wanted to stay..."

"Do as you wish."

"THANKS big bro!" Sesshoumaru heaved a resigned sigh before hanging up the call, leaving Kagome to spin around on her porch swing, staring the Vampire attempting to sneak up behind her right in the eyes. He slumped in disappointment at being caught and joined her on the swing, slouching down and closing his eyes as if to take a nap. Kagome was having none of that today.

"Did you deliver my invitations?"

"Yes."

"Well what did they say?"

"They'd be _delighted_."

His sarcasm was evident, but Kagome squealed anyway and threw her arms around him. Damon grunted as he caught her, but quickly recovered and wrapped his arms around her in return.

"YAY I'm so excited! A dinner party with my new friends! Thanks Damon!" She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, just as he was leaning down to speak to her again. Instead of his cheek, her lips met his and she froze, mortified at making such a mistake. She pulled back, face ablaze and ready to apologize when she noticed his eyes clouded over and staring intently at her lips. His hands were suddenly warm against her cheeks, and her heart beat so fast it had nearly stopped as he pressed his lips against hers again. He slipped his fingers through her hair and she clutched at the front of his shirt as she relaxed into him, feeling the world stop and her soul hum. A sing-song voice from the front door pulled them apart, Shippo's impish chuckling acting like a bucket of cold water as reality started spinning rapidly around them again.

"UH OH! Am I... _interrupting_?!"

0000000000000000000

"SHIPPO! What are you doing?!"

Damon looked over and stopped short at the young... _person_ approaching them with the most shit eating grin he'd ever seen in his life. He had fiery red hair and other-worldly emerald eyes, his pointed ears leaving no illusions that this boy wasn't human. Not in the least. Two red tails swept behind him, and Damon recalled what Kagome had told them of her son being a two tailed fox. This must be him then.

Shippo planted himself between he and Kagome, throwing an arm around both of them, then turned his attention toward Damon himself.

"So, you must be _damon_ , the reason my beloved mother has been prancing around singing Disney songs while she cleans."

Kagome groaned and dropped her face into her hands.

"Oh gods Shippo, _WHY_?!"

Shippo only grinned wider, his fangs glinting in the afternoon sunshine.

"I'm Shippo, nice to meet you. So, Monsieur Vampire, what are your intentions with my mother?"

Damon met his gaze head on, showing no intimidation or hesitance as he gave his answer. He knew this must be important for the boy, he wanted to know his mother was safe. He would be more than happy to reassure him.

"To protect her." Shippo's eyes widened marginally before he smiled a warm, genuine smile, patting Damon firmly on the shoulder.

"Good answer. Alright, you kids have fun! But not _too_ much fun."

He ran into the house, cackling madly as Kagome threw her shoe at him, the door slamming closed behind him. Kagome kept her face hidden in her hands, and Damon leaned over to nudge her with his shoulder to get her attention.

"Don't say _anything_."

He laughed and slung his arm around her shoulders, pulling her too him and kissing the top of her head.

"I like him." He said into her hair, his heart in his voice. She pulled away and tried to appear angry, but her glare was ruined by the grin spreading across her face.

"Only because you're as annoying as he is."

He only pulled her to him again, resting her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the cooking weather.

00000000000000000000

Inuyasha watched from the window as the new couple watched the stars from a blanket on the grass. His night vision made it possible for him to see them clearly, and he was just disgusted. They were only lying there, staring up at the sky, but he couldn't help it. Jealousy writhed though him and he felt it burn in his stomach and heart, over riding the parts of his brain wired for rationality. If he was alone he might march out there and throw damn bastard off the lawn himself. As it was, he had Shippo and Koga keeping him from doing something totally stupid. And he _knew_ it was totally stupid. He may be long mated to Kikyo, he may have chosen her over Kagome and severed any tie he had to the little reincarnated miko from his future, but he still felt a great deal of possession toward her. He wasn't sure how much of it was because he loved her, how much was because of her status as his own mate's reincarnation, or how much was because she'd been the one to save him. It was probably a bit of all of it. There was also the fact that life with Kikyo had not been all that he'd dreamed it would be. She was still mostly cold and distant, despite being brought back to life. She didn't want children, and she wasn't particularly affectionate. Though he still held a great deal of fondness for his mate, he had long suspected that he'd chosen wrong all those years ago. And that brought him here, trying desperately to get himself together so he wouldn't do something he'd regret. Again. He'd promised after the last guy he chased off that he was not going to interfere again. That he was going to let her be happy. Yet here he was struggling to do just that.

"Inuyasha, stop being such a creep and get away from the window. If mom knew you were spying she'd purify your ears off."

"Shut it, runt. I just don't trust that guy."

"You don't trust anyone Inuyasha."

Sometimes it freaked him out how much the runt could sound like Kagome, despite not actually having been born to her. He supposed spending over 500 years being raised by someone could have that affect.

"I'm gonna have a talk with him."

"I've _already_ had a talk with him Inuyasha, and I give him my personal stamp of approval."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me, brat?"

"Well I'm her _son_ , so if I like her boyfriend that should mean a whole lot."

"Whatever. I'm going to bed. Kikyo'll just get pissy if I sit around here too long anyway."

"Night night, mister grumpy paws!"

"I SAID SHUT IT RUNT!"

Shippo snickered and Kouga shook his head in agitation. He knew what Inuyasha was up too, he'd seen it over and over.

"He's not gonna keep getting away with this. She'll figure it out one day, and then he'll regret it for the rest of his life."

"I'm not worried anymore. This guy is different. He won't be intimidated so easily. You'll see."

"I hope you're right kid."

0000000000000000000

Damon lay back on the grass, Kagome's head pillowed on his chest, his arm wrapped around her shoulder, hugging her to him snuggly. His other hand held hers where it lay on his chest, and a warm feeling of peace wrapped all around them as the stars glittered overhead.

"So, how old are you really?"

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"You said you were older than me. So how old are you really?"

"Are you sure you wanna know?"

"Why else would I ask?"

"I'm at least 530. I think."

Damon wasn't quite sure what he'd been expecting, but it certainly wasn't _that_. Not that he was bothered, Katherine had been about that much older than him as well. But then Katherine had been a _vampire._ He wasn't sure how humans could live that long on their own.

"Uh... how?"

"The Shikon no Tama. The Jewel of Four Souls."

"It made you immortal?"

"About 15 ago, on my 15th birthday, I fell down a well on the grounds of the shrine I grew up on. It carried me 500 years into the past. There, I found a boy bound to a tree in a magical sleep. I was attacked by giant centipede youkai who could sense the jewel in my body. I woke the boy, Inuyasha, from his enchanted sleep, and he slew the youkai, who had ripped the jewel from my side. I discovered that I was the reincarnation of Inuyasha's lost love, Kikyo. They had been tricked into betraying each other by a hanyou named naraku, and Kikyo died in the after math. She had the jewel burned with her body, which was reborn into me. Anyway, the next day after I arrived in the past, the jewel was shattered, and we spent the next year battling naraku and collecting the shards of the jewel. That's when I found Shippo." She paused, and Damon looked down at her to find her smiling up at the stars, a faraway look in her eyes. She blinked, eyes refocusing as she cleared her throat and peeked up at him.

"Sorry, Shippo's just my favorite part of this story. Anyway. We continued our quest. Inuyasha's lost love is brought back by a dark witch, and I lose a part of my soul to keep her alive. For four years we battled naraku for the jewel shards, until we finally defeated him and regained the entire jewel. I was given one wish on the jewel in order to destroy it. I asked for Kikyo's life to be restored for Inuyasha's sake. As much as I loved him... he didn't love me, and I just wanted him to be happy. The jewel struck a deal. I would protect the jewel forever, and then the jewel would sever Kikyo's soul from mine and return her to life. I accepted, and the jewel re-fused with my body and my humanity fell away. I was frozen in time, doomed to watch my mortal loved ones age and die around me. And now here I am today, with you."

Damon felt the an echo of the loneliness he'd felt over his own century in a half throb through his soul. Five centuries she'd existed, watching people she loved fade into the past. He pulled her tighter to him and felt her nuzzle her cheek into his chest. Then something dawned on him, something that sent his soul flying and he laughed into the night. His eyes crinkled shut and his body shook with laughter and Kagome leaned up off of him to ask him what was wrong.

"What on _eath_ are you laughing at, Damon?"

Damon rolled them over until she was under him, and he braced himself over her on his forearms. He smiled down at her, his entire heart in his eyes.

"I just realized."

She waited with bated breath for his answer, feeling the gravity of it thrum through her soul, ready to embrace it and never release it.

"I get to keep you forever."

He lowered himself over her, taking her lips again and losing himself in her as the stars continued to spin overhead.

 **A.N.: I did the best I could with their ages based on when they were born vs when about this story is taking place. Just roll with it.**


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11**_

Damon took the time to enjoy the ever cooling weather as he walked from his house to his girlfriend's house. He felt a bit foolish that he couldn't stop grinning like an idiot every time he thought the words 'my girlfriend.' It's not like he'd never had one of those before. But there was something about being able to call Kagome _his_ in any way that made him feel almost giddy. There had been precious few things in his life that had made him feel that way, and most of the things that HAD... were not really things one should feel giddy about.

His thoughts about the girl who was quickly turning his life upside down in all the best ways came to a head as her home came into view, and he picked up his pace to reach her side quicker. He wasn't paying as much attention as he should have been, distracted as he was, so when his breath was knocked out of lungs by a strong arm across his stomach he reeled and scrambled to get his bearings. He was slammed up against a brick wall of one of the neighboring houses, his head cracking against it and leaving him disoriented for a moment. His healing abilities quickly kicked in, allowing him to focus on the face that was now invading his field of vision. Glinting gold eyes, haloed red and glaring harshly, framed by shining silver hair and... dog ears? Okay, he was officially lost.

"Uh... what-"

"What the hell do you want with Kagome, you blood sucking bastard?"

"Who the hell are _you_?"

"Inuyasha. Kagome's best friend and protector."

"Oh _you're_ Inuyasha? What's with the glittery makeover?"

Inuyasha snarled viscously in his face in reply, and Damon pushed him away and stepped away from the wall he'd been pinned against. He took in the appearance of the being in front of him. This was the first time he'd seen him without whatever spell they'd all been wearing to make them appear more human. He also appeared to be startled at the strength with which Damon had shoved him away.

"Alright kitty boy, what's this all about?"

Inuyasha growled and narrowed his eyes, not at all pleased that this fool was not only stronger than he looked, but a smartass as well.

" _This_ is about Kagome. Stay away from her. I don't trust you."

"I don't think it matters who _you_ trust. She trusts me. And so does Shippo. I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh yes you are. You're going to leave her alone. She doesn't need you."

"Hold on, where the hell is this coming from?"

Inuyasha loomed over him again, bearing his fangs and growling a deep, threatening growl from deep in his chest.

"It's coming from _me_ asshole. I'm the one who's kept Kagome safe all these years, I'll continue to do that. So back off."

Damon met his reddening gaze head on, not even flinching when the angry hanyou crowded his personal space in an attempt to dominate and subdue him. He felt his own eyes darkening in answer to the obvious threat in front of him. He grinned wickedly as his own fangs elongated as he prepared to defend himself if need be. He felt immense satisfaction as Inuyasha's brows furrowed in confusion, and Damon chuckled darkly as he backed away slowly, heading in the direction of the house he should already have been in.

"Looks like you forgot that I'm not just some weak human man that you could threaten a little and send running. You've done this before, haven't you? How many times? I take it it's worked every time then? You push the guy around a bit, snarl and growl and then Kagome's left alone again and you can pretend you still have a chance."

Inuyasha looked just the slightest bit uncertain, but he wasn't backing down. Neither was Damon.

"Look, you're right, I am an asshole. But unlike you, I'm not stupid. I know how wonderful she is, and I'm not wasting the chance to make her mine. So thank you for this delightful little chat, but my _girlfriend_ is waiting for me to come inside. Ciao." He winked and turned his back, walking quickly back to the road and up to the house that held quite possibly the best thing that had ever happened to him.

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Damon sat backwards on one of Kagome's kitchen chairs, chin rested atop his arms crossed over the back rest. He watched Kagome bustle around the kitchen muttering things in what he assumed was Japanese under her breath. Inuyasha sat quietly on the couch right outside the kitchen, pretending to read a book. Damon knew he was watching. He also didn't care.

Today was the day that Kagome had planned to have Elena, Stefan and Caroline come over for dinner to thank them for being so hospitable to her since she'd arrived. She had a flour dusted apron covering her clothes and her hair was wadded up on top of her head with chopsticks. She was adorable, and he couldn't help the silly grin that split his face. At Inuyasha's subtle snort, his grin turned devious, and he decided to get the hanyou back for trying to interfere earlier.

"Say Kagome, you're pretty old,"

She shrieked and he smirked, continuing before she decided to throw something at him.

"Have you never been married before?"

"Oh, uh... no actually."

"You haven't? Not in the 500 years you've been alive? Not once?"

Kagome flipped through a cookbook that looked older than half the stuff in his own antique house, and she sounded thoroughly distracted as she answered him.

"Nope. There have been a few times that I thought marriage might happen, but sooner or later any guy I found myself with just sort of... lost interest over night."

"Wow, weird." He laid it on thick. If she'd been paying attention, she'd have noticed that his interest was 100% exaggerated. He cut his eyes over toward Inuyasha who was glaring at him over the top of his book. "I wonder why?" He smirked as his sensitive ears picked up Inuyasha's quiet growl.

"Who knows." Kagome muttered as she fished around for another cookbook, clearly unbothered and uninterested in the topic at hand.

"Well, how fortuitous for me that everyone else in the world is a complete moron."

Kagome turned to him with wide eyes and a light dusting on her cheeks. Damon smiled at her sweetly, and then her own face shifted into a beaming smile before she turned back to the book in front of her. Damon glanced back over to the red faced hanyou who wasn't even pretending to be reading anymore. He smirked at him in triumph, and then dismissed him completely. He was about to ask Kagome what she was looking for when she held up a recipe card from a box she'd just pulled from the back of one of her cabinets.

"Ah HAH! I found it! _Damnit!_ I don't have this ingredient! Come on Damon, we're going to the store!"

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"I'm so nervous."

"There's no need to be nervous. It's not like they're strangers."

"I'm so nervous. I'm going to throw up."

"Kagome, don't be ridiculous."

"What if they hate the food?"

"They won't."

"But what if-"

"That's enough. It's going to be fine. Caroline loves shit like this, Elena thinks you're great, and Stefan is way too boring and polite to hate anything. I'm telling you, it's fine."

Kagome looked into Damon's eyes as he spoke, absorbing his reassurances and allowing herself to calm down. She wrapped her arms around his torso and snuggled into his embrace when he returned her gesture.

"Thank you Damon." He kissed her hair and rested his cheek on the top of her head.

"Of course."

Shippo came bounding loudly down the stairs and made a B-line for the kitchen.

"Where's the food, ma? I'm starving!"

Kagome pulled away to chase Shippo into the kitchen, but stopped when the doorbell rang.

"Coming! Don't touch anything Shippo, everyone is here!"

She opened the door to allow Stefan, Elena and Caroline inside, and then showed them to the kitchen where her table was prepared and ready for them to sit. She found Koga and Shippo already seated, napkins tucked in their shirts and concealing spells dropped, causing their guests to pause in shock.

"Well what are you idiots waiting on?! Foods getting cold!" Everyone laughed at Koga's brash statement and took a seat. Kagome twisted the napkin in her hand nervously before Damon took her hand to calm her fidgeting.

"I hope you guys like oden! It's one of my favorites. Of course this is nothing like how my mom makes it and I know you all don't actually need to eat food but I wasn't sure how else to say thank you and I just wanted-" Elena interrupted Kagome's nervous rambling with a light giggle and a reassuring smile.

"It's okay, Kagome. We don't need to eat food anymore, but we like too. And this is delicious! I've never had it before."

" _Wait_! She knows?! And what exactly are these guys? Which one is Kagome's son you were telling me about?"

"Calm down Blondie, she can only answer one question at a time!"

Caroline cut her eyes at Damon's sarcastic remark before noticing his hand around Kagome's. Her eyes lit up and she gave a happy squeal as she bounced in her seat.

"Oh my gosh, are you guys officially official?! That's so sweet! About time Damon found someone who can actually put up with his bull shit. I was worried we'd be babysitting him forever."

Damon smiled sarcastically and Kagome snorted in humor, suddenly feeling much calmer.

"Actually Caroline, I've been living with canine youkai for the last five centuries. Dealing with Damon is a piece of cake."

"Canine youkai? Five _centuries_?! I'm so lost. And Elena wouldn't tell me anything!"

" _We're_ canine youkai. Shippo here, Kagome's son, is a fox. Inuyasha is half dog, and I'm a wolf."

"Like a werewolf?" Koga's eye twitched in irritation. He hated being asked that.

"No... NOT like a werewolf. At all."

"Its close enough Caroline." Kagome answered with a giggle, and then shut Koga down before he could go off on one of his rants about how weak werewolves are and the superiority of the ookami youkai.

"Where are Inuyasha and Kikyo?"

"Who knows."

"Who cares"

Shippo and Koga answered in unison, slurping their food down and helping themselves to more. Kagome rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to Caroline, getting ready to re-tell her story for her three new friends who hadn't heard it yet. And a few extra details that even Damon didn't know.

"Alright guys, get ready. It's a long story."

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"Wow. You're over 500 years old. All of you are."

"Yep."

"Because of a jewel?"

"Yep!"

"That's just the craziest life story Ive ever heard."

"Caroline," Elena interjected, knowing her friend would probably just sit and marvel the rest of the night if she didn't help move things along. "We have souls. Kagome can _see_ them!"

"Wait, we do? She can? What does mine look like?"

"I can," Kagome replied with an amused chuckle. "and yours is pink." While Caroline gushed about having a pink soul, Stefan addressed something with Koga that he had been curious about since hearing Kagome's extraordinary tale.

"So, Koga. You and Kagome are friends... because you kidnapped her when you first met her?" Koga smirked, looking fondly over at the little miko who'd proven to be a greater friend and ally than he'd ever anticipated when he'd scooped her up and implored her to help save his pack that day all those centuries ago.

"Sure did. Kagome's good at getting herself kidnapped. I mean how many times has it happened so far?"

"HA HA Koga. Very funny. It's the _jewel_ people want, not me!"

"Maybe at first. I mean I spent how many years trying to make you my woman? Alas, you have terrible taste in men, so it was not meant to be!"

Everyone took the opportunity to laugh at Kagome's flustered ramblings in defense of her 'terrible taste in men,' and then Stefan decided it was time to put Caroline in the hot seat.

"You know Koga," he said mischievously, shooting Caroline a sky look that put her in edge. "Caroline has a thing for wolves."

"OH MY GOD, I dated _one_ werewolf and it was a disaster! That hardly means I have a thing for wolves!"

"But isn't Klaus a hybrid?" Caroline hid her face in her hands and groaned, causing another round of laughter at her expense.

"Damon, what's a hybrid? And who's Klaus?"

"A hybrid is someone who is a vampire _and_ a werewolf. On top of being a hybrid, Klaus is one of the original vampires, and a colossal pain in the ass. And our sweet little Caroline has him wrapped around her pretty blonde fingers."

"Shut _UP_ Damon! I do not! We need a desperate change of subject. Are you all going to the Halloween masquerade in two weeks?"

"There's a Halloween masquerade!? I'd love to go!"

Damon sighed as he remembered how awful the last masquerade had been. But Kagome's excited smile was enough to make him do just about anything.

"Looks like I've gotta dust off my suit then."

She squealed and wrapped both of her arms around one of his. Making her so happy was his favorite thing. He paid no mind to the strange looks his friends were giving him at his normally out-of-character behavior.

Damon felt new when he was with Kagome, new and free. He didn't care how anyone else felt about that.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter 12**_

 **A.N.:** ** _"_** _ **Text that is bold and italicized is being spoken in Japanese."**_

Kagome looked up and accepted the hot tea Damon handed her with a smile. He sat next to her on her porch swing, just out of the line of sight of her phone screen, and Kagome smiled conspiratorially at him.

"Are you ready? You remember what I told you to say?!"

Damon chuckled at her excitement. 'Meeting the parents' was supposed to be something nerve wracking, but with how happy Kagome was about it, he only felt at ease. This was usually a pretty big step, and taking it with _her_ felt like the most right and natural thing in the world.

"Of course."

"OH OH! It's connecting!" Kagome smiled down at the woman on her screen, waving in greeting and bouncing in excitement.

"Mama!"

 _ **"Hello my dear! How are you? How was your move? Are you alright? Are you eating?"**_

Fondness and happiness radiated off of every inch of her as she listened to her mother fret over her. Living without her for over 500 years had made her appreciate every last moment she got to spend with her, motherly worrying included. Moving away had been very hard, but the wonders of modern technology made missing her much easier.

 _ **"I'm FINE mama, I promise I'm eating. I... I have something to tell you actually, something important!"**_

 _ **"Oh! Well what is it dear?"**_

 _ **"I... I met someone. Someone very special. I want you to meet him."**_

 _ **"Ah! Did my baby meet a BOY?! Where is he?"**_

 _ **"Mama, this is Damon, he's my boyfriend."**_

Kagome gestured for Damon to come into view, so he slid over and put an arm around Kagome's shoulders. He smiled his most charming smile and waved at Kagome's mother through the phone screen. He cleared his throat before giving her the greeting that Kagome had instructed him to use to help impress her mother.

"Ohayo, Higurashi-San."

Her mother squealed happily, and then she and Kagome babbled away in Japanese to each other while he settled back to watch.

 _ **"KAGOME my darling! He's so handsome!"**_

 _ **"I KNOW mama, isn't he?"**_

 _ **"And his smile!"**_

 _ **"It's so dreamy!"**_

 _ **"I'm so happy for you my girl, I can tell by the way he's looking at you that he cares for you very much."**_

Kagome blushed and glanced over, catching Damon's stare. It was filled so many emotions she wasn't ready to name yet. She smiled a tender smile at him before turning back to her conversation with her mother. A few minutes later she hung up with promises to call again soon, informing her mother they had to get ready for their Halloween masquerade tonight. Then she turned to Damon with a giddy smile and glowing eyes.

"She liked you! I knew she would of course but it just makes me happy to hear her say it, you know?"

Damon simply kissed her cheek and hugged her close.

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Kagome looked herself over in the mirror with a critical eye. She'd had her mother express ship this dress too her the day after she'd learned of the glorified Halloween party the citizens of this town liked to call a 'ball', and she was pleased it had arrived well on time and with no damage. It was a black sequined flapper dress that she'd bought in the twenties and had preserved. She had very few opportunities to wear it and jumped at any chance she could. She'd curled and pinned her hair in a customary twenties style and tied her mask around her face to complete her look. Shippo knocked on the door lightly before opening it, smiling wide at the sight of his mother looking so beautiful.

"He's not gonna know _what_ to do with himself. I should threaten him just in case."

"Oh stop it Shippo. You don't think it's too much?"

"Of course not! You look beautiful!" He hugged her too him, then she pulled away with a frown.

"Are you sure you don't want to go? The whole town gets in on this thing."

"Go to a fancy party in a suit and mask? Are you crazy? I'd rather go train with Uncle Sesshy. Koga's going though, I think he's bored here." Kagome chuckled at Shippo's dramatics, and then collected her bag and made her way downstairs.

"Well if you're sure. Is he here?"

"Yep. Been here about five minutes." She held her arm out toward him and gave him a loving smile.

"Escort me down?"

He grinned and leapt to her side. They descended the stairs and Kagome's mouth ran dry when she caught sight of Damon in his own vintage formal wear, with a black mask that brought out the striking blue of his eyes. He was gorgeous.

"You ready?" He asked and offered her his own arm.

"Absolutely."

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Damon couldn't keep his eyes off her the whole ride to the ball. She looked positively stunning. He had half a mind to skip this shindig all together and drive off into the sunset with her, but she'd been talking his ear off about it since her little dinner party where'd she'd learned of it. He'd spent nearly every day with her and he couldn't get enough. There was this feeling of home he really only felt when he was with her, and now, surprisingly, her son Shippo. He got along great with the young fox, who liked to pull pranks and tell jokes and was as fiercely protective of Kagome as he was. The only sticking point had been Inuyasha. He'd taken several more opportunities to try and scare him off. He'd taken those same opportunities to reassure the angry hanyou that he was going nowhere. It was a lingering point of contention, and he wasn't sure how much longer they could hide it from Kagome.

They arrived and went to find Stefan and Elena. Caroline was with them, and exclaimed exuberantly over Kagome's dress. She drug her off to meet Bonnie, who they'd finally managed to pry away from whatever witch studies had been consuming her lately.

After several minutes, he approached the group of giggling girls and held his hand out to the one who held his heart. She took it, and he twirled her off into a simple, intimate dance that made the crowd fall away from around them as they swept around the dance floor, lost in their own world.

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Kagome caught her breath at the refreshment table after Damon had thoroughly stolen it with his skillful dancing and the loving way he looked at her. He approached her with a plate of food and handed it to her with a stern look.

"If I'd known you hadn't eaten anything all day, that's the first thing we would have done."

"I was nervous!"

"That's no excuse. It's hot in here. You could have fainted!"

"You would have caught me!"

He scowled at her, and she poked her tongue out at him childishly. She ate at the food on her plate, only pausing when she felt her phone buzzing in her purse. She chose not to ignore it when she saw Shippo's name flashing on the screen.

"I've gotta take this, it's Shippo. I'm going to step outside for a minute."

"I'll throw this stuff away and meet you out there, I could use some air."

She made her way out of the building and into a nearby alley, calling Shippo back when she was sure it was quiet enough to hear him.

"Ma, where's that cable that connects from the TV to the old Sega? I can't find it."

She talked him through where to find it, and then made sure that he was eating decently without her to supervise him. As distracted as she was with her phone call, she didn't feel the presence sneaking up behind her until it was too late. Two strong hands gripper her shoulders and spun her, slamming her against the wall and pinning her by her throat. Her phone clattered to the ground, and she tried to call up her purification powers only to feel them fizzle out when she realized that this was a human man attacking her. And though she could sense a faint magical aura about him, he had no supernatural blood for her powers to react to. She gripped the wrist of the hand wrapped around her throat and attempted to wrench it away, but he was too strong for her to overpower physically.

"Wha-what do you want?" She choked out passed her constricted airway, gasping for breath, hoping desperately not to pass out.

"You got something my boss wants, little lady. Where's that jewel at?"

"Wh-why.. why do you want it?"

Before he could answer, he was wrenched violently away from her and the air that forced its way back into her lungs burned as it filled them once again. She looked up to see a positively feral Damon sinking his teeth teeth into the neck of the man who had dared to lay a hand on her. He tossed him away, wiping the back of his hand across his lips and then spitting the man's blood from his mouth before glancing up at her. She gasped at the sight of his eyes, which had darkened, and the black veins that branched out all around them. He was grimacing and breathing heavily, and she could see his fangs, fangs he hadn't had until this moment. He turned from her and leaned his forehead against the opposite alley wall, attempting to get himself under control. She approached him slowly, laying a hand on his shoulder before stepping around him to get a look at his face. His eyes were still dark and surrounded by veins, and he looked pained as his breath came in violent gasps.

"Damon..."

His eyes snapped to hers, and the conflicted look he was giving her broke her. She stepped into his arms and pushed her aura out in soothing waves, crooning softly until she felt him calm.

"I'm alright. I'm alright Damon, you saved me."

He clutched at her, breathing in the scent of her hair and memorizing the feel of her body against his.

"What did he want?"

"The jewel. For his boss."

"Shit. How does he know about it?"

"I don't know... you got to him before I found out."

"You're not safe. Not here."

He swept her up, picked up her discarded bag and cellphone, and then dashed off, using his enhanced speed to spirit her away from the party, and away from whatever threat wanted to take her away from him.

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Damon leaned back against the frame of his bedroom door, staring pensively at Kagome as she looked around and made herself familiar with the place she'd be staying for the night. She'd never been here before, in his room. He preferred leaving this place as much as possible, so having her up here in a place he didn't even really like staying anymore just didn't really appeal to him. He tried not to feel self conscious about the fact that she'd just witnessed him kill someone, that she'd seen his blood lust come out front and center. He supposed he still had some healing to do after Elena had all but deemed him unlovable for the nature they now shared. Kagome had made no indication that she was uncomfortable around him now. She still seemed just as at ease, and he tried to reassure himself that things would be fine between them.

"What's with the pouty face?"

He blinked down at her, noting the concern and worry in her gaze. She'd just been _attacked_ and she was worried about _him_. He reached up stroked her cheek, feeling his heart lighten just a bit when she leaned into his touch instead of away. He just was not used to feeling this way when it came to himself and what he was. He needed to get a grip.

"I'm just... there's someone after you. Someone I don't know. Someone you can't defend yourself against. I'm pissed that someone attacked you. I'm relived that I was just right behind you. I'm worried they'll try again, because I know they will."

She grabbed his hand and led him toward his bed, pulling him down after her before curling into him and snuggly wrapping an arm around his torso.

"It'll be alright. This isn't the first time I've had someone after me for the jewel. We can get through this. I promise."

He stared out toward his wall unblinkingly, trying not to think about anything but the girl in his arms. It seemed she had other plans, though, as she started up another round of 20 Questions: Vampire Edition.

"Why don't you have fangs all the time?"

"They only come out when I'm feeding. Or times like tonight."

"Oh. How did you become a vampire, Damon?"

"Katherine."

"Who's that?"

He took a moment to collect his scattered thoughts before continuing. He didn't like talking about his sordid history with Katherine Pierce, but he supposed it would have to come out sooner or later.

"I met her when Stefan and I were young. She was new in town. She was beautiful and intriguing and I fell in love with her. I thought she loved me too. Maybe she did, but she also loved Stefan. It was messy. Anyway, she's the one who made me this way. I became immortal for love, sort of like you. Though my motives were much more selfish. She and Stefan were doppelgängers, which is probably why they were drawn to each other. Doppelgängers are always drawn to each other."

"Doppelgängers... I read about those... Stefan is one?"

"Yep. So is Elena. She's Katherine's doppelgänger."

"Stefan is with his old love's doppelgänger? Geez."

"Well Elena is nothing like Katherine. Katherine was vindictive and cruel. Elena is the exact opposite. If her likeness to Katherine drew him in at first, it was her differences that kept him around."

"Why do I sense that there's some more weird history here?"

He sighed and closed his eyes. He didn't want to talk about THIS either. But she'd told him her life story, it was probably time he returned the favor.

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Waking up in Damon's arms was a literal dream come true. He was so warm and solid, and though the circumstances that drove them here weren't ideal, well... she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth either. He was already awake and gazing at her softly when she opened her eyes. She remembered everything he'd told her about his life last night, and she only felt him burrow down into her heart a little further. If anyone deserved happiness, it was Damon, as far as she was concerned.

"Good morning handsome." His eyes widened marginally before they glinted wickedly, a matching smirk spreading across his face.

"Good morning, breakfast."

She squealed in protest as he rolled over on top of her, peppering her face with kisses and tickling her sides as she thrashed about to get away. They kissed away the rest of the morning before Kagome's growling stomach finally forced them out of bed.

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Kagome clutched at his free hand on the walk back over to her house, his other hand holding a suitcase full of clothes. He was moving. He was moving _in_ with Kagome. At least until this threat had been taken care of. But who knew, maybe she'd like to keep him around afterwards too.

As they arrived at the driveway in front of Kagome's house, it seemed Koga was arriving as well. They hadn't seen him since he disappeared into the crowd at the ball last night. He felt Kagome tense at the lecherous grin on the wolf's face.

"Morning fellow 'walk of shame buddies.'"

"Oh gods Koga, you didn't do anything stupid, did you?"

"Let's just say that friend of yours, Caroline? Is a hell of a lot of fun." He said with a wink, and Damon rolled his eyes skyward. This guy had no idea what he was getting in to.

"Oh Koga... you didn't..."

"Oh don't give me that Kagome, look who else is walking home in last nights clothes."

"Actually, we need to talk to you all about that," Damon interjected, almost laughing at the disgusted look on the wolf's face.

"I do NOT want to hear about-"

"It's not about _that_ Koga. I was attacked last night. We should all probably discuss it, don't you think?"

"Shit, you were? Was it the jewel?"

"Unfortunately."

"Damn. Inuyasha's gonna be pissed."

"When is Inuyasha _not_ pissed?" Damon muttered under his breath, though Koga heard him anyway, and they all entered the house to his boisterous laughter. Damon and Kagome readied themselves for the coming conversation, knowing it wouldn't be easy, and that many things were about to change for all of them.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Your friendly neighborhood reminder that I still don't own any of these characters.

 _ **Chapter 13**_

Damon had approximately 0 seconds to brace himself as a blur of red collided with him and wrapped itself around him. He stumbled back, catching the boy, who was nearly as tall as he was, he wasn't sure he'd ever understand youkai aging patterns, and returned the embrace of the trembling fox, stunned that he was on the receiving end in such a display of affection.

"Thank you thank you thank you thank you." He heard Shippo chanting quietly, and he felt his heart ache at the worry he must have felt when he'd heard his mother being attacked through their phone call. Shippo drew back and looked him in his eyes. He could read everything the boy wanted to say, but couldn't get out. He placed a firm, reassuring hand on his shoulder, and then tilted his head in the direction of the beloved woman who belonged to _both_ of them. Shippo pounced, crouching down to nuzzle under her chin like he was a kit again, and Kagome stroked his fiery hair and looked over to Damon, her face scrunched in confusion, looking for an explanation.

"He heard. Your phone call wasn't disconnected. I texted him to let him know you were safe."

She gasped, her eyes wide with hurt and concern.

"Oh Shippo, I'm so so sorry. I didn't even think... please forgive me for overlooking-"

"It's fine mom, I'm just glad your okay!" She cuddled him close and and gave Damon a grateful, watery smile as tears pooled in her eyes. He gave her a soft smile in return, the brushed away the tear that trailed down her cheek.

"As touching as this all is," Koga piped up from where he was sprawled out in the couch, "you're about to be interrupted by hanyou fury in 3...2...1..."

"WENCH! _What the hell were you thinking_?!"

Damon rolled his eyes and sighed deeply.

"And it had been _such_ a good day so far."

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Kagome pinched the bridge of her nose and attempted with all of her strength to keep her temper in check. It was times like this she regretted taking those damn beads off of Inuyasha, and she wondered how hard it would be to make a new set for the duration of his little visit.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me you were gonna be gone all night with this... this... whatever the hell he is?!"

"And _why_ on earth would I need to tell you that, Inuyasha?"

"Because we just sit here and worry otherwise, wench!"

" _Shippo_ knew where I was! Did you even bother to ask him? I don't need to clear anything with you, Baka, so just calm the hell down! We've got important things to discuss!"

She led them to the kitchen table, waiting for all of them to take a seat before she cleared her throat and began.

"I was attacked last night for-"

" _WHAT_?!" Inuyasha's incensed yell was not unexpected, Kagome had simply held on to a foolish hope that he'd let her finish before he went off on another tirade. Inuyasha turned his irate glare on Damon, who merely cocked a brow, looking thoroughly unimpressed and slightly irritated.

"You let her get attacked!? I knew you were no good for her! I knew you were too weak to-"

"INUYASHA! That is enough!" The sound of Kagome right on the edge of her patience made Inuyasha sit back with wide eyes, ears snapping back to lay flat on his head.

"Damon did not _let_ me get attacked, INUYASHA. I stepped away for just a moment, and he showed up a moment later and killed my attacker. Now, sit down, shut up, and let me finish." Inuyasha slumped in his seat and grumbled under his breath. Koga chuckled quietly, never getting over the site of Kagome delivering the aggravating hanyou a verbal ass-whipping. Shippo leaned over toward Damon and mock whispered, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth.

"He _never_ learns."

"Now," she began again. "I know it had to do with the jewel. But the man was human, so I couldn't do anything to him with my powers. He caught me unawares, so my physical self defense was out the window, as well. Damon found me not even one minute after the guy made his move, so I wasn't able to get much information out of him, just that he was working for someone who wanted it. He had some magical abilities, like he was a wizard or something. That's all I know."

"Damnit. I was hoping Sesshoumaru was worried for nothing when he sent us here. Seems that bastard was right again. Have you told him?"

"Not yet, I planned to tell you guys first."

"What could a human want with the jewel?"

"I don't know. I just hope we're prepared for when they strike again. They're not likely to just let this go with one failed attempt."

"No shit. No one's ever that smart where the jewel is concerned."

"Next line of conversation, Damon is moving in."

"What?! Why?!"

"These are humans attacking Inuyasha, my powers are useless against them. He's another layer of protection for me and the jewel."

"He doesn't need to- you can't just- you weren't even going to discuss it first?"

"Why would I need to do that? This is my house."

She could tell Inuyasha was gearing up for another loud protest, but she noticed the absence of a particular aura on the house, and put her hand up to silence him.

"Wait, where's Kikyo?"

Inuyasha heaved a deep, defeated sigh, and dread settled into Kagome's gut at his slumped posture and blank face.

"She left."

"She what?"

"She _left_ Wench. She's gone. She left a note."

"You mean..."

"Yep."

"Oh Inuyasha! But how? Why? You're _mates_! I didn't think-"

"It's alright, Kagome, it's honestly something that was centuries in the making. She's never been happy and I... was very blind for a long time. We were never good for each other."

"Oh Inuyasha." She reached over and took his hand. As crazy as he drove her sometimes, he was still her best and oldest friend. She hated to see him so down; she also knew this was something only time could fix."

"There _is_ a way to break your bond with her, if you found someone powerful enough." Koga provided somberly, having to good grace to actually be serious for once and and try to be helpful.

"You two talk about that. I've got to help Damon get unpacked and then call Sesshoumaru. You know how he gets when he isn't immediately informed of these things." Before any objections could be voiced, she pulled Damon from his seat and up to her room, cleaning a drawer and a space in her closet for the few things he'd brought so far.

"I know it's kind of small compared to what you're used too."

"It's perfect, Kagome. I was planning on moving out before I'd even met you, anyway. I'd have moved somewhere much smaller than this."

"Alright then. I might need to get a new dresser for the rest of your stuff. Maybe some storage bins. Is there any furniture you wanted to bring? We could find the space for it if-"

"Why do I get the feeling that you're stalling?" Damon asked, his amusement apparent at her tendency to ramble when she got nervous.

"Because I am. Sesshoumaru is always so intense about this stuff. And he'll probably be pissed that I don't have more information to give him. And I'm worried about Inuyasha. He's been with Kikyo for over 500 years! How do you just... I'm so worried about him." Kagome sank into Damon's embrace when she felt him wrap his arms around her. She tucked her head under his chin and allowed the steady beat of his heart to calm her raging nerves.

"If everything you told me about Kikyo is true, and from my brief interactions with her it was, then maybe this is for the best."

"I guess. Alright, enough stalling. I've got a tough phone call to make."

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The first morning after moving Damon into her house had been interesting for Kagome. She woke up to find him still sleeping, the covers pulled up and bundled around him, leaving only his face visible. She admired the way his thick eyelashes swept across his cheeks, how relaxed and peaceful he looked. She traced his features lightly with the tip of one finger, moving along one of his eyebrows, down his nose and finally across his lips. Sleep softened his chiseled features, making him look nearly boyish, and he looked so cozy she didn't dare wake him. She eased out of bed and headed downstairs to make her morning coffee and grab breakfast. She was sat at her table, just finished up when the very vampire who'd been occupying her thoughts came downstairs to join her. She looked up to greet him and stopped cold. His pajama pants hung low on his hips, his bare chest revealed every muscle to her gaze, and his hair stuck out every which way from sleep. She openly gawked at him and dropped her cereal spoon. At the sound of it tinkling against her bowl, Damon glanced over and caught her stare on him, furrowing his brows in confusion.

"What?"

"What are you wearing?"

"Pajamas. Why? Are they distracting?" He grinned wickedly at the dazed look in her eyes, before opening her cabinet and looking inside. He caught site of a bright, colorful box of sugary cereal and pulled it from the shelf, eyes wide with glee.

"Hey! I love this stuff!" He reached in and grabbed a handful of the rainbow colored sugar flakes and stuffed them in his mouth, crunching loudly on them as he made his way to the table. Kagome felt a wave of affection wash through as she watched him go from wicked flirtatiousness to almost child like glee at something like cereal. Damon was really not what people expected, she wondered how many people had truly seen him this way.

"You're not even going to get a bowl?" She asked as Damon reached in and grabbed another handful, tossing the flakes back in his mouth and crunching down on them again.

"Nope."

"What are you doing?!" They both snapped there heads over to the door to see Shippo standing with a scowl, his hands balled into fists and his tails swishing behind him in agitation.

"Wha-" he was cut off by Shippo's loud growl. He snapped his jaw shut and raised his brows, wondering what he could have done to anger the young fox so early in the morning.

"That's _my_ cereal!"

A slow smirk found its way across Damon's face as he reached back into the box without breaking eye contact with the scowling Shippo.

"Oh. you mean _this_ cereal?" He asked before tossing his most recent handful of flakes in his mouth.

" _YES_." Shippo ground out between his gritted fangs. Damon simply reached in again and grabbed some more of the cereal.

"This cereal right here? In this box?" He crunched loudly on the cereal, looking so much like a cat who'd got the canary, and Shippo nearly had smoke coming out of his ears.

"Yes _THAT_ cereal! You'll pay for this..."

"What are you gonna do fur ball? Play a trick on me?"

Shippo lifted up a set of claws lit with blue fox fire, his own wicked grin forming as he answered Damon's challenge.

"No, I'm gonna kick your ass."

"Language Shippo. And take it outside, this table wasn't cheap."

They both raced out the back door, and she could hear them wrestling and laughing and trading insults as she sipped her coffee and tried to tune them out. Koga made his own appearance, grabbing a pop tart before looking out the window at the commotion.

"What's going on?"

"They're wrestling."

"Why?"

"Damon ate Shippo's cereal."

"Damn. And you didn't warn the guy? You know how that brat of yours is about his junk food."

Kagome merely smirked and took another sip of coffee.

 **A.N.: I just want to take another moment to thank you all for your reviews, faves, and follows! They make my day! I'm so glad you're all enjoying this little labor of love of mine. I'm very excited about it, if my rapid update schedule is any indication ;) Anyway, until next time, stay tuned for more drama and fluff!**


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chapter 14**_

Dimitri Sokolov stared intently at the image of the house shimmering in the glass of his small scrying mirror, trying to memorize the patterns of the people living inside. This would most likely be the place he would make his strike, capturing the deceptively young woman who lived amongst a veritable swarm of dangerous beings who watched her like hawks. The man he'd sent before had been an utter and colossal failure. He could not risk such failure again. He'd been looking for these people for decades, and now that he'd found them, he would not let them slip through his fingers.

He had taken up the search when his master, Tarquin Lancaster, former leader of the Coven of Eternity, had been slain in his search to grant them true immortality. Tarquin had spent most of his life traveling the world looking for lost, forbidden magics to strengthen himself and those in his coven, which was made up of displaced witches and wizards that he'd gathered up and taught his collection of forbidden spells. Using dark magic he'd found in one far off land or another, he'd granted all of his followers with long lasting youth and vitality, but such magic had its limits. For centuries he'd followed the whispers of a remarkable object, a jewel of immense power, that would give them the energy they needed to sustain themselves infinitely. They would truly be immortal, and completely unstoppable. Tarquin had followed those whispers deep into the island country of Japan, to a large castle ruled by a demon of immeasurable strength. The Dog Lord had struck Tarquin down where he stood for merely inquiring about the location of the jewel, leaving Dimitri, his right hand man, to take up the reigns as de-facto leader of the Coven of Eternity until such a time that they could find the Jewel of Four Souls and restore their leader to life to lead them into the future and to their destinies.

They had been preparing for this for decades. They'd kept track of rumors of a young priestess who now guarded the jewel, and paid close attention to the talk of her strong and fierce protectors. They'd strengthened their ranks and sought more magics in their quest for this jewel. They'd even lowered themselves enough to add a Siphoner to their ranks. They would not fail.

He watched the glass of his mirror with a deadly, satisfied grin as a man with silver hair an animal ears stepped out of the front door and took a seat on the swing resting on the porch. He wondered if this was the dog demon who had taken their leader from them. If he played his cards right, he could have the jewel AND vengeance for his beloved master. It was only a matter of time.

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Kagome stepped out of her front door and gazed at Inuyasha, her oldest friend and companion, as he stared forlornly out over the yard from his slumped position on her porch swing. She approached him quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder and taking a seat next to him. He reached up and placed his hand on top of hers, and she leaned her cheek on top of their joined hands and sighed. He knew how to drive her crazier than any other person she'd ever known, but she loved him. He was her heart's family, her brother. And she hated to think he was sad and hurting.

"How are you Inuyasha?"

"I'm fine I guess."

"Inuyasha what happened? You guys seemed... well, fine I suppose. This just seems so out of nowhere..."

Inuyasha breathed in deeply, taking in the clean scent of crisp, fall air, the familiarity of the smell of old wood, and Kagome's own bright, comforting scent and holding it for a moment before releasing it all in a whoosh. He'd been thinking all night about his life and some of his more foolish choices, and he'd determined that from now on, he was going to look forward and do right by those who'd always done right by him. Starting with the loyal little miko who'd given him everything he had in the first place. He leaned his head against her's and thanked every kami he knew the name of for a friend like Kagome.

"It might seem that way. But Kikyo's good at putting on a show. And I'm... I'm good at clinging to the past."

"Oh Inuyasha. I'm so so sorry."

"Don't be wench, it'll be fine. _I'll_ be fine. I'm honestly surprised she didn't do this sooner."

He squeezed her hand and leaned away to look her in the eye. She had such beautiful eyes, he thought. You could always see everything she thought and felt in them, she didn't hide herself away behind any masks of indifference or superiority. She made herself an equal to all and loved with her whole heart. He'd been very selfish with her, and she didn't deserve that.

"I'm sorry Kagome."

"For what Inuyasha?"

"A lot of things. I haven't always been the greatest friend too you... anyway. I'm gonna start. And if that means backing off and letting you be with that freaky leach guy, then I will." The smile that lit up her face made him feel warm, and she hugged his arm and giggled at his less than savory description of her favorite vampire.

"I love you Inuyasha, you know that? You're my family, forever. That will never change."

"Yeah yeah wench, I kno-" Inuyasha cut himself off and tensed, causing Kagome to look up in alarm at his sudden alertness. It never meant anything good when Inuyasha focused so intently on something out of nowhere.

"What's wrong Inuyasha?"

"Do you feel that?"

"Feel what?"

"Focus."

She sent her senses out in ever increasing waves all around, and could feel a distant presence focused intently on them. She knew from her decades of training exactly what this feeling was, it had been something she'd insisted on learning how to identify, and it was a skill that had come in handy more than once.

"Someone is watching."

"Got that right. Let's go inside, we should tell the others."

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After updating the rest of the group, including Sesshoumaru, about the latest information on their situation, Damon and Kagome headed off to retrieve his car from where'd they'd left it at the masquerade ball what seemed now like a century ago. They'd need it to get the rest of his things to finish his move into his new home with Kagome. They held hands hand as they leisurely strolled over to where the ball had been, enjoying spending time together and having no real reason to hurry. This mess with the jewel would happen when it was going to happen, and not before.

"How'd it go with Inuyasha this morning?"

"Good I suppose. I'm still a little worried about him, but I'm confident he'll be alright now. He said something weird though... have you two been fighting?"

Damon hesitated, wondering how much to tell her. He had certainly not been getting along with the Inu hanyou, but he _was_ Kagome's friend. And while part of his hostility had been from a selfish desire to keep her to himself, at least a part of it had been out of concern for his friend. And since Damon had started this whole journey out trying to learn to be a better friend, he was going to give the Hanyou the benefit of the doubt.

"Hmmm there's been some tension. But we're dealing with it."

"Well, that's good. I want you all to get along at least a little. It seems you and Shippo are getting a long well at least."

Damon smiled fondly at the mention of the young fox who was now as much a part of his life as the woman he called 'mother.'

"He's ridiculous."

"He's a _fox_. They're all that way!"

He chuckled at her and the obvious exasperation and then asked about what it was mine to raise a kitsune. The rest of the walk was filled with his laughter as she told him tale after tale of all the centuries she'd lived filled with fox antics and shenanigans.

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Arriving back at Salvatore Manor sometime later, Damon suggested they tell Stefan and Elena about what had happened with her attacker.

"They could probably help if we needed it. They've got all the vampire strengths I do. We should probably call Bonnie too. She isa witch, and it looks like witches is what we're going to be up against.

"I think you're right. You ready?"

"Am I ready? To be able to _this_ whenever I want? Are you kidding?"

He grabbed her and pulled her too him, backing her up against the wall of the house and staring down at her with hooded eyes. Kagome felt her breath escape her and her heart flutter in her chest at an ever quickening pace. Her eyes began to slide closed as his face lowered over hers. Before they made any contact, however, the front door opened, and out stepped Stefan with an all too innocent look on his face.

"Well hello, you two! How are you both today?"

They both looked over with matching looks of disbelief and exasperation, before Damon lowered his forehead to rest on her shoulder.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me."

Kagome pushed him away and giggled at the grumpy look on his face, before giving Stefan a mock glare and shaking her finger at him.

"That's not nice." She giggled again at Stefan's wholly unabashed expression.

"Alright you two, we've got things to discuss, let's go inside! Where's Elena? We should probably call Caroline too. And maybe we can get Bonnie over here and only have to have this conversation once, that would be convenient."

Damon shot Stefan a glare behind Kagome's back that promised untold pain and torture, but Stefan only stared blankly at his irate brother, blinking in feigned innocence and trying desperately to keep his humor contained. Being able to tease his brother like this was something he'd dreamed of for so long, he'd have to thank Kagome somehow one of these days.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15**_

"So you have a coven of witches after you for a magical jewel?"

"Well, I don't know about a coven, Bonnie, but there's at least two. Unless that guy's boss isn't actually a witch... or wizard or whatever."

"Hm. What kind of things can this jewel do?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm not sure what it _can't_ do. It's immensely powerful. I've had all kinds of beings after it for all sort of different reasons... I mean, I brought someone back to life who'd been dead for 50 years with it. I fought a man who gave his soul to demons and used just the shards of it to create powerful minions to do his bidding for him. It's why, once the forces for good that are inside it found a pure enough heart in me, they decided to keep me around to protect it forever. But the darkness in it still calls to darkness, which is how we end up in these situations."

"I see. Well if it's that powerful then anyone could want it for any reason."

"You haven't heard anything about any dark covens looking for more power in your little witchy chat-rooms Bon Bon?"

Bonnie chuckled and rolled her eyes. Despite how happy Stefan was with the changes he'd seen in his either lately, it seemed some parts of Damon would never change.

"It doesn't really work that way Damon. I can keep an eye and ear out though."

"And no matter what, we'll absolutely help you guys when the time comes."

"Thank you Elena, that means a lot to me."

"Of course Kagome."

"So Damon," Stefan spoke up, and his brother narrowed his eyes at him in suspicion.

"Yeeeeees?"

"You're moving out today?"

"Technically I moved out yesterday."

"Oh, you found an apartment?" Elena asked a little sadly. As much as she understood his desire to create some space between them all, she still cared about him, and was sad to see him leave.

"No actually, I'm moving in with Kagome. At least until all of this shit passes."

"And after, probably. There's really no sense in you moving out if you don't want too."

Damon felt warmth spread through his heart, and Elena felt relief that he wouldn't be moving out to live alone.

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"I really don't want any of this stuff, I'm only here for clothes."

"Are you sure? But it's all yours. And you don't have to leave it just because-"

"Kagome this stuff has been in here for ages. I don't really care about it, I assure you."

"Ok... it's just.. alright, never mind."

Damon glanced back at her, sitting on his bed and picking at the edges of his comforter. He left his task of gathering his clothing and grabbed her fidgeting hands, grabbing her attention from whatever dark thoughts she'd been wrapped up in. He lifted her chin to make her eyes meet his, staring in them intently and reading her obvious hesitation and anxiety.

"What's this really about?"

"You're giving up a lot here. Your brother lives here, this is your home. And you're leaving it because I've brought this troublesome jewel into your life. If you decided it's too much, I would understand."

Damon cocked a brow and tilted his head, confusion plain on his face. He wasn't sure where this was coming from all of a sudden. Perhaps she'd been feeling this way for a while and had just hid it well. He'd have to disabuse her of the notion that being with her was any sort of difficult sacrifice.

"There are a lot of troubles and inconveniences _I'm_ bringing into _your_ life just by being with you. I've caused a lot of chaos over the course of my life, and sometimes it comes back to bite me in the ass. I've tried many times to get away from it, and being with you makes me feel like that might actually be possible. So unless _you_ want to let _me_ go for similar reasons, you're stuck with me babe."

Kagome's smile in that moment was breathtaking, and when her arms wrapped around him he cradled her close , with no hesitation or uncertainty between them. That sense of 'home' that he felt with her intensified, and he knew that giving her up for any reason hadn't been an option in quite some time. They were a team now, and a team was how they would stay.

"Thank you Damon."

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"I don't like this wench. All this sittin' around and waitin' on some sneaky bastards to finally make a move." Inuyasha sulked from his place in front of the living room window, peeking through the blinds and into the darkness as if willing whoever was targeting them to just hurry up and get it over with. Damon reached into Kagome's popcorn bowl and took a large handful before stuffing it into his mouth. She glared at him and stuck her bottom lip out in a childish pout, moving the bowl away from him.

"You know, for someone who doesn't even need to eat people food anymore, you sure still eat a lot of it." He smirked and leaned over her, making her shrink into the couch cushions. He kissed her nose, then snaked his arm around her, grabbing another handful of popcorn and retreating back to his cushion, turning back to the movie on the TV screen. Kagome shot him another glare before turning to face Inuyasha's tense back on the other side of the living room.

"Well there's not much else we can do right now, Inuyasha."

"I thought you'd all done this before." Damon said as he snatched another handful of popcorn from Kagome as she tried to keep the bowl from him. Inuyasha finally left the window, coming over to sit on Kagome's other side, taking his own handful of popcorn and causing Kagome to throw her hands up in defeat and give up on her snack all together.

"That don't mean it ever gets any easier waitin' on people to form their little plots before they strike." Inuyasha grumped around his mouthful of popcorn.

"Inuyasha's not much of a planner. He'd prefer to charge in swinging tessaiga without even looking where he's going."

"Tessaiga?"

"It's this giant sword made from his father's fang. It's pretty ridiculous looking." Inuyasha pinged a piece of popcorn off of Kagome's cheek and her eye twitched in indignation.

"Don't remember hearin' you call it ridiculous when it was savin' your ass every time you got kidnapped, wench."

"Oh that's _IT_!"

Damon grabbed the discarded bowl of popcorn and settled back to enjoy it all to himself as Kagome chased the laughing hanyou across the house.

 **A.N.: I feel like this chapter is really short. Consider it a cute intermission, things are about to escalate. Also, if you haven't listened to the song that is the namesake and inspiration for this fic, you MUST! Sea Meets Earth by Fever Fever. It's lovely! Until next time! Thank you all for your time and support!**


	16. Chapter 16

**_Chapter 16_**

Kagome woke up in the gray light of early dawn wrapped up firmly in Damon's arms. She peeked back behind her to see that he was still sleeping, and wondered if she might be able to sneak out of his embrace to spend a few minutes by herself. The last several days had been wrought with an electrical anticipation and tension that crackled around everyone in the house. Expecting an attack, but not knowing who it was coming from, or where, or when, was taking its toll on all of their nerves. Kagome had had a set of eyes on her almost at all times. Inuyasha's over protection had kicked into overdrive, Shippo walked around with tails bristled and eyes narrowed. Even Damon had become extra vigilant. Always sitting or standing a few inches closer, keeping a hand on her whenever possible. She knew they meant well, there was a lot at stake where the jewel was concerned after all, and tried not to feel like they were babying her. Damon had reassured her as best he could just last night that that wasn't the case.

 _"I know you can take care of yourself, but I want to take care of you too. If I can keep something from happening to you, I will. I love you, Kagome. I won't let anyone take you from me."_

She smiled at the memory and snuggled back down into his arms for a moment longer. She'd been so shocked and choked with emotion she'd barely been able to voice her own reciprocal feelings back. She'd felt warm and safe the rest of the night. Even this morning had a deceptive edge of safety and comfort cutting through the anxious tension that had swallowed them lately. So she let her desire for a quiet cup of coffee win out and she eased Damon's arms from around her waist and made her way downstairs. She checked all the auras in the house, noting that, like Damon's, Shippo's and Inuyasha's were sleepy and subdued. Koga must have snuck off to see Caroline again, as his was missing completely. Perfect. As the coffee pot set up and began brewing, Kagome tied her robe tighter around her and slipped on her house shoes to go check her mail. She stepped out of her front door and breathed in the smell of dewy grass and chilly air, letting the peace of the still sleeping world deep into her skin and settle into her bones. Heaving a deep, cleansing sigh, Kagome made her way to her mail box at the end of her drive way, humming a sweet tune and letting her happiness at the memories of Damon's confession carry her all the way there. She idly flipped through the bills, coupons and advertisements, still humming and distracted, and then felt a sharp, ringing pain at the base of her skull. She slumped into a pair of arms; head lolling back and eyes fluttering, she just managed to catch the blurry image of a pair of triumphant brown eyes and an evil smile before her world went dark.

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Dimitri felt his success burn through him, his victory singing through his veins and spurring him onward faster and faster. He had been watching the house for days waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He had felt confident about today, that today would be the day his patience paid off. The aura suppressing Crystal he'd paid a small fortune for glowed dimly in his pocket where he'd slipped it earlier this morning after activating it. He had to be quick, the effects of it only lasted until midnight on the day of activation, and it was the only reason he'd been able to get close enough to the girl to land his blow. He carried her swiftly through the woods at the side of her house, coming up on the horse he'd left tied to a stump for a quick getaway. He draped her over the saddle and climbed in behind her, spurring the horse forward and fleeing to his hideout. He felt giddy and unstoppable. The highest hurdle had finally been cleared, and now all that was left was to claim his prize.

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Shippo lurched awake, sitting up with a gasp and a wildly beating heart. Something was wrong. His tails bristled again like they had done all week, but something was different. Something was worse. All of his instincts cranked on and turned all the way up, whispering to him that there was a snake in the den, a threat to dispose of, _DANGER DANGER DANGER_. Red haloed his eyes as his demonic nature rose to the surface, ready to defend. He climbed out of his bed and headed to his mother's room to make sure she was alright. She was the target after all.

He threw the door open and it slammed against the wall, jolting Damon awake. He flailed and rolled out of the bed, grunting on impact with the floor before sitting up and looking around wildly. Shippo noted the empty spot on the other side of the bed and fear seized his heart.

"Where is she?!"

"What?! Who?!"

"MOM! Where is she?!"

"She's..." Damon stood to inspect the bed he'd just foolishly fallen out of to find that she was, in fact, not laying next to him as he'd been sure she was. "Shit!"

He pulled a shirt on and ran downstairs, Shippo hot on his heels.

They discovered the coffee pot still brewing in the kitchen, but there was no other evidence that anyone was in there.

"Kagome? Kagome?!"

"Mom!" They called for her throughout the house, their increasingly frantic voices finally rousing Inuyasha.

"What the hell is going on? What are you two idiots hollerin' about?!" His question was answered by Koga as the wolf flew through the front door with several damp, crinkled envelopes in his hands.

"These were on the ground. There was the scent of a man and Kagome's blood by the mail box."

"Shit," inuyasha cursed as he raced up the stairs to grab tessaiga, and met the others outside by the mail box.

"I can track her," Shippo said frantically, his hair frazzled and his eyes wild with worry and fury. "Her scent is still fairly strong. I can track her!"

"I can help." Koga supplied, knowing that Shippo's abilities had a chance of being compromised by his emotions. They nodded to each other and stepped back away from Damon and Inuyasha, the former watching in disbelief as the fox and wolf youkai were engulfed in bright, swirling light that spread up and around them. When it dissipated, he was left staring at a giant fox that stood taller than his head, and an even bigger wolf. No wonder she hadn't been phased by him being a vampire.

"Well that's... special."

Shippo yipped at him and turned, pointing his nose to the ground and sniffing intently for a moment, Koga mirroring his movements before they both took off into the woods off to the side of the house. Damon and Inuyasha sprinted after them, and Damon thanked his rarely lucky stars that speed was something you were gifted with as a vampire. He'd have been left behind otherwise. He did his best to not let his fear cripple him. He told himself that they would get to her in time, they'd keep her from anymore harm and she'd be back in his arms where she belonged. Where she would stay forever. He just had to get there.

 _'Hold on Kagome, I'm coming.'_

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Kagome woke with a groan, a splitting headache throbbed through her skull and she slumped forward to hide her eyes from the light in the room. She tried to bring her hands around to shield her face, but found them bound behind her with a chain.

"Uuuugggh. My head."

She heard a shifting in front of her and raised her head to investigate. She opened her eyes before snapping them shut again, hissing at the pain caused by the light in the surprisingly bright room she was being held in. She slitted her eyes open instead, taking in as much as she could. There was a man sitting in front of her, back turned and legs crossed. His back was hunched and he held a stick that he used to draw in the dust on the floor.

"Good morning Princess Priestess, about time you joined us in the waking world."

"Who...who are you?"

He turned to her with a deceptively charming smile, but she could read the evil intent laced all through his dark aura. She shivered at the sight of it, and the matching echo of deviousness she could see deep within his eyes.

"I'm Kai. So nice to finally meet you, Kagome."

 **A.N.: You can thank my BFF for the appearance of Kai in this fic. He was not originally in my plans, but she loves him, so I pulled some strings. And since this is technically a canon divergence at this point, and a crossover to boot, I think we can all roll with it lol. This chapter was my trickiest to write yet, so I hope you all enjoy it! We will be wrapping up this story in the next few chapters as well. Thank you all so much again for your reviews, faves, and follows! You are all the best and I love you!**


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter 17**_

Koga skidded to a halt mid gallop, his paws digging and scrambling in the dirt and leaves under him in his attempt to halt his previous sprinting. The others stopped as well, looking impatient and bemused. He turned to Shippo and let out a series of barks and yips. Shippo nodded once, and Koga turned tail and took off in a black streak in the opposite direction. Inuyasha, being half inuyokai, understood the gist of what Koga had said, and translated for Damon.

"He's going to get the others. We'll most likely need some kind of backup."

"Oh... right. Backup. Smart." He'd forgotten to inform Stefan and Elena of the most recent development in their little situation. There just hadn't been time. They continued to follow the path the kitsune before them led them down, pouring as much strength and speed as they had into their efforts.

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Koga leapt through the streets and into the yard in front of the Salvatore mansion, his heavy paws shaking the ground. He threw his head back and howled, drawing the attention of the 3 people he could sense inside. They ran out and stopped at the sight of him, a giant black wolf in their yard wholly unexpected.

"What the hell..." Stefan whispered, watching in awe as the wolf approached Caroline and nudged her torso with his snout. He woofed softly, and as Caroline stared into his familiar blue eyes recognition clicked inside her mind.

' _Woah. Yeah definitely not like a werewolf_.'

"Koga?" She asked tentatively. He stepped back several paces, allowing the lights of his transformation to swallow him until he stood before her in his more humanoid form. He smiled at her with a slight edge of mischief and her heart skipped the slightest beat.

"Howya doin', Blondie?" He sobered, his smile slipping into a frown as he addressed the whole group before him "They got Kagome, we've gotta go."

Elena gasped, immediately calling Bonnie to join them. She could use a tracking spell to find Elena easy enough. Koga took his true wolf form once again, barking at them once in a plead to follow him, and then took off in the direction he'd left Shippo and the others

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"How do you know my name?" Kagome asked the man, Kai, who was still looking at her with that sickeningly charming smile that did nothing to hide the darkness she could feel rolling off of him in waves.

"That old loon out there has been tracking you for YEARS! I got the whole run down when he convinced me to help him."

"What does he want?"

"Something about some dead guy."

"I see, he wants to raise the dead. That's nothing new. Why are you helping? What's in it for you?" Kai shrugged carelessly, picking his stick back up and resuming his dust doodle.

"I was bored."

"So you're just a guard dog?" Kai's charming grin darkened into a sneer, and Kagome fought the urge to shudder at the feel of his anger buffering against her own aura. There had been many evils in this world after her for the jewel, but it had been a while since she'd experienced one this dark and unstable.

"No. I'm not a _guard dog_." He paused, and a wide, devious smirk stretched slowly across his face, causing dread to sink into Kagome's gut. "I'm a Siphon."

The feeling of her power being ripped forcibly from the depths of her soul burned wildly through her veins. She choked on her breath at the magnitude of the pain caused by her soul fighting against the dark call of the man before her, but in all of her training she'd never faced a kind of power like this. There were many ways to harness the power that another person possessed, she'd been on the receiving end of many of them. Some of them had even been painful. But this felt like nothing she'd ever faced before. Her body glowed with the pink light that was so characteristic of her holy powers. That glow creeped along an invisible tether that Kai had created between them, before engulfing him as well. Kai's eyes blew wide at the sheer depth of the power available in this one, tiny woman. She could potentially be an endless power source. When Dimitri had told him of this woman's power, he'd been skeptical that one person could hold so much on their own. Now he understood that even Dimitri had underestimated how much power was available here. He made a decision in that moment that he would keep this power for himself. He had had to do some extensive reading and a bit of training when he'd taken on this job in order to understand what her powers were capable of. He knew he was supposed to use them to put a barrier around the little two room hut that had been hastily built to act as their hideaway. He concentrated on the feel of her power now coursing through him, and cast it out around them in an expanding pink bubble. The pain became too much for Kagome to grit her teeth through, so she screamed a shrill, piercing scream that caused Kai to slam his hands over his ears. He decided to cut their link. He had enough of her power to hold the barrier for now. At the severance of the siphoning tether, the pain receded and Kagome slumped forward, sobbing quietly into the floor. As bound as she was, she couldn't try to make an escape. Her feelings of helplessness and uselessness were not helping her, so she pushed them back as far into her mind as she could manage. She'd simply wait for the others to rescue her. Then she'd turn this building and everyone in it into glittering ash.

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Shippo yelped and slammed his paws into the earth, skidding to a halt just in time as a glimmering pink barrier swelled into place before him. He released his transformation in a swirl of light and turned to Damon and Inuyasha with helpless, pleading eyes.

"A barrier! She set up a barrier!"

"She wouldn't do that, brat, And you know it! She knows we're comin' after her!"

"What if that's the point?! What if she's trying to protect us?"

"She ain't that stupid anymore! And if she is, there'll be hell to pay!"

"Something's not right Inuyasha! It just doesn't make sense!"

"Wait." At Damon's calm interruption, Shippo and Inuyasha turned to him with inquisitive eyes.

"This is her... bubble... thing?" Damon asked, waving his hand over it as he gestured to it.

"Barrier, yes."

"And we can't get through it?"

"Not unless you wanna turn to _ash_ , Count Dracula." Damon cut Inuyasha a wry look, then turned his attention back to the barrier shimmering in front of him.

"I bet they have a Siphon."

"A _what_?" Inuyasha and Shippo asked in unison.

"A Siphon. It's a witch who doesn't posses any powers to do magic of their own. But they can _steal_ power. They're usually cast out of covens as freaks of nature, but if this guy is as desperate for that jewel thing as he seems to be, he might be using one to take the jewel's _power_ if he can't just take the jewel. Covering all of his bases, that sort of thing."

"Holy shit."

"Yup."

"Well. All this standin' around and yammerin' ain't gettin' us any closer." Inuyasha said as he pulled tessaiga from its scabbard at his hip. In a burst of light, tessaiga's fang from became visible to Damon for the first time. He had to agree with Kagome, the thing was ridiculous. Inuyasha channeled some of his own power into the blade, and it began glowing a deep, blood red.

"Lucky for you useless bastards," Inuyasha taunted with a fangy grin, "you've got _me_ to get you to the other side of this thing." He raised tessaiga above his head and brought it down with a shout, shattering the barrier in a flash of light. He was secretly thankful to his brother for all that forced training. He might not have been strong enough to break one of _Kagome's_ barriers otherwise. As soon as the light show dissipated and the spots dancing in their eyes cleared away, Kagome's pained scream echoed through the trees. Damon's blood chilled at the sound, a look of pure horror washing across is face. He ran desperately in the direction it originated from, determined to eviscerate any and all who had caused her to make such a sound.

 **A.N.: Moving right a long toward the end. This has been fun, guys.**


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter 18**_

Damon's fangs lengthened and his eyes darkened as ran in the direction he'd heard Kagome's screams coming from. She was in danger, and his blood lust and dark nature had come up to the surface in response to his need to protect her. Not long after he rocketed off in her direction, he came upon a small, hastily built cottage in a small clearing guarded by two witches. He made quick work of them, his anger simmering over into a boil and granting him that much more speed and strength. Shippo and Inuyasha's eyes widened in alarm when they caught up to him, the sight of his fangs and blood smeared mouth signs of his vampiric nature that they'd never seen before.

"She's in here." He informed them, and before he could reach for the door handle, Inuyasha burst through door feet first, sending splinters of wood out to shower the small congregation of witches on the floor before them. They sat chanting in a circle on the floor around a large, round symbol carved right into the boards. They leapt at the abrupt intrusion to their ritual, turning their eyes to the strange newcomers at the door. One man who had been standing behind the circle of chanting witches stepped around and in between his coven and the three angry beings who now joined them.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

Inuyasha leveled tessaiga at the man's chest, his eyes flickering red and a low growl vibrating in his chest.

"Where is she?"

"Ah, you are here for the jewel then. You cannot have it. I will be using it to bring back the founder of our great coven, I will let no one stop me. Leave this place, and we will allow you to keep your meaningless lives."

"Or," Damon spoke up, drawing the attention of Shippo and Inuyasha with the deadly edge in his voice. "you give me my priestess back, and I won't rip your intestines out through your throat."

Shippo and Inuyasha were almost shocked by the deadly intent in Damon's eyes. It had completely wiped away the sarcastic spark that could usually be found there.

"Keh! Like we ain't heard this shit before old man."

Dimitri walked back to his place behind his circle of witches, gesturing out too them and beckoning them to rise.

"Come, my children. Rise to defend your destinies. Defend the Coven of Eternity, so that we might finish our work and bring our beloved leader back to us." The entire circle rose at his words, turning to face the trio at the door. Some began chanting again, while others brought out talismans or crystals. Inuyasha stepped forward and simply punched the first person out, followed by Shippo who picked someone up and threw them through the hole where the door used to be. Three more people entered the fray, Koga detransforming and slashing with his claws.

Damon began making his way to a door at the back of the room, confident that that's where he would find his missing miko, and whoever it was who had signed their death certificate when they had decided to harm her. He kept his attention on the man who was obviously running this show, and his eyes widened as he began lobbing glass vials of clear liquid out into the fight before him.

"VERVAIN!" He shouted, hoping to warn his fellow vampires in the mix before they could be seriously hurt. One of the vials burst over Inuyasha's head. His nose twitched madly as he attempted to identity the substance that now soaked his ears.

"It's just water!"

"No!" Damon pushed Caroline out of the way of one of the flying vials, taking the hit directly. The vervain infused water burned his skin, and he shouted and hissed at the pain. He dropped to his knees and clutched the side of his face that took the brunt of the vile herb. Caroline hooked her arms under his and drug him to a corner out of the way. Shippo had begun launching blue orbs of fox fire, and Inuyasha encouraged Stefan and Elena not to hold back. Anyone who posed such a threat to the jewel needed to be disposed of. The group of witches may have been larger than their little rescue group, but they were still merely a group of humans. They fell quickly, and when only Dimitri was left standing, the door opened and a new figure walked in. A much younger man who removed a sharp dagger from his jacket and through it straight into Dimitri's heart.

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Inuyasha stared slack jawed at the man who'd just appeared out of nowhere and killed the leader of the coven he seemed to belong to.

"Who the hell are _you_?"

The new stranger met Inuyasha's gaze with an evil smirk. He began glowing, and brought up his hands to reveal two glimmering balls of pink purity in his palms.

"Hello. I'm Kai. I'll be leaving with the jewel today. That loony old man had no idea what kind of power he had in his possession."

"Oh hell no." Inuyasha muttered as he gawked at the sight of Kai engulfed in a miko's aura. "What did Damon say about a freaky witch with no power?"

"Siphoner." Shippo answered gravely, bribing up his claws and igniting them with his blue fox flames once more. "That means we're fighting a miko, pretty much."

"Damn ugly miko. Alright bastard, give us your worst."

Kai cackled manically, bringing up is hand and launching a bolt of purity directly at Inuyasha, who knocked it away with tessaiga.

' _This is gonna suck ass_.'

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Damon ignored the chaos of the rest of the room and made his way too the door that he knew Kagome was behind. He'd seen just a glimpse of her when this new threat had walked through. He pushed the door open and quickly shut it behind him, sighing in relief at the sight of an, at least physically, unharmed Kagome slumped onto the middle of the floor.

"Kagome." He whispered just loud enough to gain her attention. Her head lifted weakly, her bangs glued to her forehead with sweat and her breath coming in quick pants.

"Damon!" She answered hoarsely, and he dropped down in front of her and gathered her into his arms. She leaned against his chest and sobbed weakly, her strength still gone from Kai's siphoning session earlier.

"Damon. It hurts. It... it hurts so bad."

"Shhh. I know. I know. I'm going to get you out of here."

He grabbed at the chains binding her wrists to break them, but he dropped them when her scream pierced the stale air in the room once more. She was glowing pink, and he surmised that Kai must be siphoning from her power again. He quickly ripped the chains binding her hands and feet, then scooped her up, ignoring how the glowing aura surrounding her burned at his skin much like vervain would. He kicked a hole in the back wall and leapt through it, carrying the trembling miko in his arms to the edge of the clearing and leaning her against the base of a large tree. She had stopped glowing, but her body still shook with sobs and fatigue. Damon held her close and kissed her forehead, whispering reassurances to her to try and calm her.

"Everything's going to be fine now. I'm here, were all here. It's alright, Kagome,your safe."

"He's... he's...Kai... it hurts."

"I know. And I'm going to kill him for this. I'll be back, I promise."

He stood and turned back toward the house, prepared to make his way back inside to finish this off when the entire backside of the house was blown off by huge, shimmering shards of what looked like diamonds or crystals. The Siphoner who'd been stealing Kagome's power was now pinned to the tree by the large diamond shards in several places, his blood trickling from around them, and from several other wounds, and splattering the ground below him. Damon rushed over, forcing his hand into Kai's chest, smiling wickedly as he watched the life begin to drain from his eyes. He coughed and spluttered, blood dribbling from his lips and rubbing down his chin.

"What an unfortunate way to learn how stupid it is to touch my miko." He ripped Kai's heart out, crushing it and tossing into the leaves beneath his feet. He returned to Kagome's side and lifted her, cradling her head against his shoulder and meeting the others as they walked through the hole in the back of the house. Inuyasha examines Kai's remains where they were still pinned to the tree, and began pulling out the diamond chunks holding him there.

"Keh. Stupid bastard got cocky. As if we'd be surprised by anything Kagome's powers can do. He couldn't even hold very much at a time. I've fought lower level youkai stronger that this moron."

Shippo rushed up to Damon, running his eyes all over his mother's prone form, worry creasing the space between his brows.

"Is she alright? Is she sick? Is she hurt? I heard her screaming again. Oh shit, _you're_ hurt! What happened? Are you-"

Damon chuckled tiredly at Shippo's fretting, and that seemed to snap the fox out of his frazzled state of mind. "She'll be fine Shippo. Siphoning isn't an easy process for the one being stolen from. She just needs to rest. I'll be fine too, I just need time to heal. No problem." Shippo nodded in acceptance, looking relieved and frantic.

"Well, let's go home, shall we?" Shippo perked up at Damon's suggestion, though his eyes still stares dazedly at his mother's face.

"Right! Home. That sounds nice."

Damon looked down at the now sleeping woman in his arms and had to agree. Home sounded very nice indeed.

 **A.N.: Adamant Barrage is my favorite tessaiga attack so points to you if you caught that reference. Also, battle scenes suck to write. This was not my favorite. Ugh. I imagine this was pretty anticlimactic but they're kind of old pros at this by now, and I want for this to mostly be a fluff fest! Can't spend too much time on the dramas. ANYWAY, thank you for your visit! You're follows, faves, and reviews mean so much!**


	19. Chapter 19

Disclaimer: I still don't own any of the places or characters mentioned in this story from either The Vampire Diaries or Inuyasha, A Feudal Fairy Tale.

OH, or Twilight! I don't own that either.

 _ **Chapter 19**_

Kagome woke a short time later in her bed with no memory of how she got there. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she tried bring up he last memory. Damon carrying her out of the building she'd been held in, pain coursing through her as a man she'd just meant forcibly ripped her powers from her soul; the sounds of fighting in the distance; Damon's injured face filling her field of vision to reassure her; then she must have gone unconscious.

Well, did they win? Someone must have made it out alive if she was here. She had just managed to sit up when there was a soft knock on her door. It cracked open and Bonnie peeked inside, smiling sweetly after noticing Kagome awake and alert.

"Hi Kagome, how do you feel?"

"Fine actually. How did I get here?"

"Damon carried you home after the fight was over. Sorry I didn't make it in time, but they took care of things pretty quickly. It was over by the time I got there." Kagome smiled reassuringly, feeling pleased that their latest problem had been taken care of so easily.

"That's okay Bonnie. Is everyone ok? No one was seriously injured?"

"Damon suffered some vervain burns, but other than some minor scrapes, everyone is all healed up and fine."

"I'm so glad." Kagome sighed in relief, collapsing back into her pillows. Damon came in at that moment, and Kagome perked back up at the site of him. Bonnie excused herself, and Damon sat down next to her on the bed. She took his hand, running her eyes over the side of his face she was sure he'd been burned, but saw only smooth, unblemished skin. She sat up and ran her finger tips over his cheek and he held still, faintly leaning into her touch.

"You were hurt."

"Asshole had vervain bombs. I got hit pushing Caroline out of the way. And that blonde brat has yet to say thank you." Kagome giggled at his sarcasm, joy that everything had turned out so well pulsing through her and making her aura thrum with contentment.

"How is everyone doing?"

"Shippo's annoying the hell out of all of us with his worrying. Even Bonnie and all her witchy wisdom couldn't shut him up for more than five minutes." Kagome laughed openly at his consternation and the agitation she knew everyone must be feeling at her son and his tendency to very vocally worry about her. He was that way with anyone he cared for.

"Sorry, he gets that from me. If I hadn't passed out I would've been down there fretting over each and every one of you."

"Small mercies." Kagome hit him with one of her pillows, but before Damon could retaliate, the door opened again and Shippo poked his head in.

"I _knew_ I heard your voice! Oh mom!" He ran into the room and pounced on her. She collapsed back into her bed with an 'oomph' and Damon barely managed to get out of the impact zone.

"I was so worried! They all said you'd be fine and I knew they were probably right but what if they weren't?! You've never been attacked by someone like _that_ before! You were asleep FOREVER!"

"She was only out for two hours!"

"That's forever!" Damon rolled his eyes but smiled fondly at the boy anyway. He really couldn't blame him.

"Goodness Shippo! You can't be jumping on me like that, you aren't teeny anymore."

"Oh! Sorry." He backed away and smiled sheepishly, scratching at the back of his neck. "Well now that I know you're okay, I'm gonna go play some video games. Today has been nuts." He kissed her cheek and scurried from the room for his own. Kagome patted the bed next to her once Shippo had left the room, and Damon took the invitation to stretch out next to her. She laid her head on his chest and sighed deeply in contentment.

"How often does this happen? People coming for the jewel, I mean."

"It depends. For a century or so after Naraku it seemed like every few years we were fighting some new threat. But then things calmed down. The last issue we had was 150 years ago."

"Hmm"

"If it's too much Damon..."

"Actually, I was just trying to get an idea of what my life was going to be like now."

"Oh?" Damon could hear the slight uncertainty in her voice. If she thought _this_ would scare him away, she was nuts. He grabbed her hand from where it lay on his chest and brought it up to his lips, kissing her fingers.

"Yep. I'm not going anywhere."

"Good."

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Inuyasha waited until Bonnie had closed the front door behind her before leaping up to follow. By the time he made it outside, she was just stepping off of the porch, but she turned at the sound of Inuyasha approaching her.

"Hey, uh, Bonnie isn't it?" he asked nervously, sticking his hands in his pockets out of awkwardness and bouncing on his toes.

"Yeah. Inuyasha right? What's up?"

"Yeah, right. Um, I have a request. You wanna-?" He gestured to the swing behind him, and, at her nod of approval, led her to it and sat next to her. He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, not looking at her as he voiced his request.

"You think you can break a youkai mating bond?"

"A what?" Bonnie asked bewildered.

"It's a magical bond between a youkai, or a hanyou, and the person they choose as their 'mate.' Or spouse I guess. Anyway. My... mate... left me recently..."

"I'm so sorry." Bonnie replied in sympathy, understanding immediately what he was after. "I don't know anything about youkai or their mating bonds, but if you aren't in a hurry, I can do some research. I'd love to help you if I can." Inuyasha smiled at her, relieved that he hadn't had to explain too much. He was still terrible with words and feelings.

"Thanks. And no, I'm not in a hurry."

"Great! Then I'll come by soon and see if I can detect this bond magically. We can go from there."

"Thanks again, I really appreciate it."

"No problem." Bonnie waved and made her way back down the porch steps, a happy hanyou watching her go, feeling like his life was about to start for the first time. No longer bound by any of the past, he was ready to embrace the future.

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That night at dinner, everyone was put off by Inuyasha's good mood. He was practically giddy and no one knew what to make of it.

"Inuyasha..."

"What is it wench?"

"What's got you in such a good mood?"

"Nothing."

"There's got to be something. You're not usually so... giggly."

"And it's not because we won today," Shippo added, "because that just makes you smug and irritating." He and Damon snickered together at Inuyasha's expense and shared a secret 'low-five' that did not go as unnoticed by the hanyou as they thought.

"HAH. Very funny _brat_. It don't matter. When's the food done?"

"Oh Inuyasha." Kagome sighed in exasperation. She wouldn't push him though, despite her burning curiosity. Inuyasha tended to get grumpy if people asked him too many prying questions. She decided to just be happy that he was happy considering all that he'd been through recently.

"I'm just glad you're happy, that's all. And dinner is ready now. Whoever's eating, come on! Is Koga sneaking around with Caroline again?"

"Yes. When ya gonna to tell him you know?"

"I don't know. I'll probably let him sneak around and stress about it for a few more days, then surprise him one morning."

"Sneaky wench!"

Laughter and warmth filled the atmosphere around the table, and Kagome relished every moment of peace she had with her family.

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"Hey Damon."

"Here we go."

"Why don't you sparkle?"

"Why don't I _WHAT_?!"

"Sparkle! Have you never read the Twilight books?"

"No! Why the hell would I read those?"

"They weren't very good, you didn't miss much. The vampires in those books sparkle in the sunlight."

"They _sparkled_? That's so stupid. I _burn_ in the sunlight. Without my ring, anyway."

"Shame. You'd be pretty as a sparkly vampire."

"I'm going to ban any questions about vampires from now on."

"Oh come on! There's _a lot_ of misinformation out there, ya know. I've gotta get the facts somehow. Or would you rather me carry on thinking you don't have a reflection?"

"You've _seen_ my reflection."

"That's not the point!"

Damon sighed in mock annoyance and threw his arm over his eyes, Kagome giggling at her place curled against his side in their bed. "You are so irritating." She huffed and poked his side, and he squirmed away, laughing at the humor and indignation mixed on her face.

"That's mean!"

"It's the truth."

"You love me anyway!"

Damon sobered, rolling onto his side to face her. He captured one of her hands in his, bringing it to his cheek and holding it there, smiling softly down at her with glowing eyes. "Yes I do."

"And I love you too."

His smile widened and he leaned forward and took her lips with his own. Kagome sighed and relaxed in to him, and Damon felt his heart swell and nearly burst with a happiness he never thought he'd find. No, he was certainly not letting this woman go, not for any reason. Loving her was the easiest thing he'd ever done. He recalled the times he'd watched Stefan and Elena, when he'd longed for that ease and simplicity. How he'd envied how they seemed to click like pieces of a puzzle. Being with Kagome felt even easier than that. Where one ended the other simply began, like where the sky meets the horizon, or where the see meets the earth. He felt almost as though they'd been born for one another, destined to be, as painfully cheesy as that would make him sound. He'd spend the rest of their eternity proving that to her, to everyone.

He was where he belonged. He was home.

 **A.N.: And here we are at the end of our little tale. It's been so much fun you guys, thank you so much for coming along with me on this journey. Writing a chapter fic was something totally and completely new to me, and I've loved every second of it, and a lot of it is thanks to everyone who took the time to read this and leave faves, follows and reviews. It all just means so much. All that said, I do feel like leaving it at 19 chapters is a little lame. What do you say, should we go for an epilogue? A little more fluff? A little more mischief? SHALL WE HAVE A WEDDING?!**


	20. Chapter 20-Epilogue

Disclaimer: The stories and places mentioned in this story that come from The Vampire Diaries or InuYasha: A Feudal Fairy Tail do not belong to me.  
 _["Text appearing like this is being spoken in Japanese."]_

The name Mine is pronounced _Mee-nay_

 _ **Epilogue: Snapshots**_

 ** _1 year later_**

Damon watched his new wife dancing with her son, looking radiant in her lace gown while his new mother-in- law took 5000 more pictures of anything and everything. He fought the urge to pinch himself, because _that_ was silly, and stood to cut in and catch another dance with his new bride. He spun her around and caught her in his arms, her radiant smile leaving him breathless.

"Hello Mrs. Salvatore."

She blushed and giggled and snuggled up to his chest as he swayed with her to the slow piano music playing in the background.

"Hello new husband."

Damon felt like his grin would split his face in half.

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It was a mere two months after their wedding that they received a summons from Sesshoumaru. To come all the way to Japan. The plane ride had been long and exhausting, but they'd had no chance to just rest, as Sesshoumaru had insisted on seeing them immediately upon their arrival.

"This better be good." Damon grumped, stretching to work out the kink that had formed between in his shoulders from first the long plane ride, then the long cab ride through Tokyo traffic.

"Sesshoumaru wouldn't have called us out here like this if it wasn't." They leaned wearily against the elevator walls on their way up to sesshoumau's office, too tired to feel any apprehension or nervousness. When they were finally seated in front of his desk, Damon shifted at the blank look on the stoic youkai's face. He'd met Sesshoumaru a few times now, but he still felt uneasy being around someone who could be so _blank_ in every situation. Kagome didn't suffer from the same problem, and she gave the being that she had come to love as a brother a warm greeting.

"Salvatore-San. Miko. Thank you for coming on such short notice."

Damon nodded in acknowledment, trying to get used to the unusual way that Sesshoumaru addressed him. He knew it was traditional here, but he wasn't used to anyone being so formal with him.

"Please understand that I would not have called you here for any matter that was not of the utmost importance."

"Of course Sesshoumaru! We came as quickly as we were able!" Kagome chirped with a sunny smile that perfectly hid the fatigue she felt from their flight.

"Now, as for the reason I called you here. A fortnight ago, a human woman approached me and begged me for assistance. She claimed to know what I was, so I agreed to sit with her and hear her request. She had unknowingly had relations with a youkai, and since this male who had deceived her was weak willed and without even a shred of honor, he left her pregnant and vanished. She was ill equipped to raise and care for a hanyou child, and asked that I help her find the child a home. Since you have already proven able to successfully adopt and raise youkai children, and since you are one of the few people I actually trust, I thought I would ask you first if you might take this child in." Sesshoumaru paused, and Kagome gaped at him as he leaned over pressed a button on his desk telephone, buzzing his receptionist at her desk outside his door.

 _["Mine, bring the child in."]  
["Yes, Sesshoumaru-Sama. Right away!"]_

Kagome glanced over at Damon, who had gone pale and was staring blankly at the edge of the desk in front of him. Before she could check on him, the office door opened, and Sesshoumaru's secretary walked in carrying a small, pink bundle which she handed directly to Kagome.

"This is Emi. She is a neko hanyou, and is approximately 1 month old. I shall leave you to get acquainted and make your decision." Kagome gasped as she pushed the blanket around Emi's face back to reveal two tiny, black kitten ears nestled in her thick, raven locks. She knew immediately what she would do if it was just up to her, but since it wasn't, she turned to her husband, who was still staring unseeing at the desk in front of him.

"Damon?" He jolted back to attention, turning to look at her with the beginnings of what looked like panic in his eyes.

"What did he just say?" Kagome fought the urge to giggle at him. It seemed he hadn't even noticed that she was holding the very child Sesshoumaru had just asked them to care for. Instead of repeating everything they'd just heard, she simply passed the small bundle into Damon's arms. He paled further, stiffening and clutching at the infant in a desperate attempt not to drop her.

"Am I... am I a father?"

"Only if you want to be." She reassured him, and it seemed to help him breath a little easier.

"If I want to be? I've never thought about it."

"You haven't?"

"I'm _dead_ Kagome. I can't have kids."

"I know that."

"So this isn't something I ever thought I'd need to consider."

"I understand. It's _alright_ Damon, we don't have to take her if you don't feel ready."

"Her?"

 _'Wow_ ,' Kagome thought, ' _he really missed a lot of information in his panic_.'

"Her name is Emi."

Damon looked down at the baby in his arms for the first time. He took in her black hair, her fuzzy ears, her button nose. She began to wake, and blinked her eyes open at him, revealing their bright green color and the fact that they held the same otherworldly feel that Shippo's eyes held. She was enchanting, and it made him feel much calmer, and more panicked at the same time.

"This is a baby."

"She's a kitten."

"What?"

Kagome couldn't have held her giggling back if she'd tried this time. The look on his face was both lost and besotted, and it reminded her so much of the look she'd seen on Miroku's face when she'd handed him the first of many babies that Sango had given him.

"She's a neko hanyou. She's half cat."

Damon searched her little face and eyes once more, then looked over at his wife and took in her glowing expression as she watched him hold the tiny being that was being offered to them. Fatherhood was not something he'd ever considered before. He'd been very young when he'd become a vampire, so children hadn't been on his horizon just yet. And then it was moot since a man who was technically dead couldn't reproduce anyway. There was Shippo, he supposed. But being a step father to a fox boy who was already mostly grown was a world away from raising a newborn as his own. But as he stared back down at the tiny girl looking up at him from his lap, as he watched her wrap her tiny clawed fist around one of his fingers, and as his wife squealed and started snapping photos, he new he was not leaving this country without this baby.

He was a goner.

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Emi's first birthday with them proved just how much of a monster Damon still was deep inside. He had driven everyone _absolutely_ mad in his need to throw his little kitten the perfect birthday party. Even Kagome was ready to string him up by his toes. Shippo had proven himself a traitor as he'd sided with his step father in every battle over the whole cursed affair. He'd secretly been pretty desperate for a sibling, and now that he had one, he helped Damon spoil the little girl absolutely rotten. And that wasn't even including her mother. Shippo had not been a baby when her mother finally got to meet her first grand kit, so when Kagome showed up on the shrine steps with Damon and a kitten eared baby just hours after leaving Sesshoumaru's office, a switch had been flipped and there had been no turning back. It was all Kagome could do to keep her daughter from being a complete little terror.

Watching Damon dote on her made it all mostly worth it, though. He'd taken to fatherhood like a sea otter to water and it was the sweetest thing she'd ever witnessed. Her heart still soared every time she remembered him telling her to let Seashoumaru know that they'd like to be informed of anymore youkai or hanyou children in need of homes. Just when she thought she couldn't love him anymore...

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They had 3 more years of peace before Katherine Pierce showed up to cause trouble again. She simply traipsed up on the front lawn of the Salvatore Mansion, where Kagome, Damon, Shippo and Emi were playing with Elena and Stefan. She stopped cold at the site of the animal eared little girl squealing with laughter as Stefan scooped her up and pretended to eat her. The little girl's words left her even more confused than the presence of the other two people she'd never seen before.

"Uncle Stefan, stop! Save me Aunt Elena, save me!"

"My my, it seems a lot has changed since I last stopped by."

The joyful atmosphere died a quick death as everyone turned their full attention to her. She grinned her signature mischievous grin, trying to figure out just what was going on when Damon took the child from Stefan and held her protectively, the small, black haired woman with him standing alert at his side. It was that woman, Kagome, she'd learned, Damon's _wife,_ who had led her to skip town early. She'd spiked all of her plans at mischief, foiled all of her manipulations. Kept her from getting everything she wanted. Mystic Falls held no fun at all for her. She supposed she could try again when the woman was dead. She _was_ a human woman after all.

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Damon searched his wallet for the accompanying pictures as Emi sat on her Uncle Sesshy's lap and filled him in on every detail of her recent jobs as flowergirl to first Koga and Caroline, and then Stefan and Elena. The soft look in his eyes as he listened raptly was much more evident to Damon now that he'd known him so long. Of course he wasn't surprised, Emi was the cutest after all, who _didn't_ love her?

Kagome sat on the other side of the hospital room, sobbing over the teeny, silver haired boy in her arms. Inuyasha had fallen in love and mated a sweet human woman just a year ago. (Emi had been _their_ flower girl as well, but Sesshoumaru had been to that wedding.) Almost exactly one year to the day that Inuyasha had requested her help, Bonnie had successfully found a way to break his previous bond with Kikyo. He'd moved back to Japan shortly after that, and then traveled from there all over the world as a 'free hanyou.' In South America his heart had been captured again, and now, sleeping on Kagome's lap, was the start of the family he'd always longed for. Kagome was more pleased than she was able to say.

The baby was absolutely perfect. He had his father's silver hair and golden eyes, and his mother's tan skin and round, human ears. Inuyasha beamed with fatherly pride while his mate slept, and Kagome snuggled the new member of their expanding pack and let all the love overwhelming her for her family freely leak from her eyes.

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When Emi was 7, and Shippo had started getting antsy for another sibling, they got a phone call from Seashoumaru that they'd been waiting for. The last call they had passed on to Koga and Caroline, as the child in question was an orphaned full blooded ookami youkai cub who would be much better served with an actual wolf for a father. Stefan and Elena insisted they weren't ready for parenthood yet, so Damon and Kagome rushed off to pick up the newest member of their family. They left Emi with Shippo, and crossed their fingers that their house would at least be standing when they got back.

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Kagome leaned against the doorway to her bedroom, smiling softly at Damon, who was fast asleep with two very small fox kits asleep on his chest. They had been very surprised when they'd arrived and Sesshoumaru had presented them with _two_ babies. He'd not made it very clear that he had _twins_ for them. He probably thought it was amusing watching them scramble to catch up with the fact that they would be taking home two homeless hanyou today instead of just one. But they'd risen to the challenge, and as she watched four little fox ears twitch every time their new father's breath brushed against them, she thought her heart might just burst with her happiness. She soaked in the peace surrounding her, then slipped in to bed and lifted one of the kits off of Damon's chest and snuggled him close. She was going to enjoy every last second of them being this small. She knew Shippo would get his devious claws into them and turn them into tricky foxes in no time. She felt Damon press a kiss to her forehead as he shifted around, carefully moving the sleeping kit in his own arms to keep her asleep.

The last thought on her mind as she drifted off into dreamland, was that she couldn't believe her good fortune. She'd had no idea that _this_ is what had been waiting on her when she'd accepted the deal with the jewel to merge with it for eternity. She'd meant to make the most of life of course, but had had no idea that this was the love and happiness that had been meant for her. She would have waited another 500 years for this if she'd had too, and would not have regretted a minute of it.

She was where she was meant to be. She was home.

 **A.N. And there we have it, we are at the end. I have decided that Koga and Caroline's ship name is Kogaline. I don't have one for Kagome and Damon, sadly, so you're free to call them whatever you like. Thank you all so very, very much for all of your support! This has been so so amazing. Final reminder to listen to Sea Meets Earth by Fever Fever. It's the song that inspired this whole fic, and it's lovely. Well, that's all there is, there isn't anymore. Aloha, auf wiedersehen, bon soir, sayonara, and all those goodbye things, baby.**


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